Archive of Our Own

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part 1: peripeteia

“Hurry up! Hurry, hurry! Run!”

“We are running, damn you!”

“Run faster!”

Chung Myung was stressed. That was shocking news to outsiders because stress was an unusual feeling for the too-relaxed-for-his-own-good man. He was the most careless person in the whole wide world, always unbothered with anything. Yet, right now, he was stressed like never before because they were about to miss their train. And they could simply not miss their train.

They were only in Seoul to win the Martial Arts Competition, find a place for their new dojo, and let off some steam before returning to Busan. Things did not proceed that way though. They won the competition; in fact, even made a name for their rising dojo among the top ones. Yet, Seoul was even more pricey than they could imagine, and no place was good enough to accommodate a decent enough hall. They were already pissed to be returning empty-handed, and when some fools who lost to them decided to pull up with a whole gang against the three, they had no choice but to beat the crap out of them. The fools did not know who they were dealing with, although the trio also received some damage, which caused them to miss their train and end up in a police station for a few hours.

Now, because only tickets to the 6 am ride were available, they had of course overslept and found themselves in a shit position.

“I see the train!”

They heard the announcement just at that time and ran even faster.

“KTX 101 bound for Busan is departing shortly.”

Chung Myung ran even faster and jumped on the train like a thief in the night. It was standing still, so why did he feel the need to act like the main character of a James Bond movie? Nobody could say.

“We made it! Let’s go, Iseol. The officials will think he’s illegally boarding the train again.”

Yes, again. This incident happened before, and it was too shameful a memory for either of them to want to recall.

They finally boarded the train a minute before departure and found Chung Myung waiting for them, leaning against a wall.

“I’ve been waiting forever! Let’s go find our seats now. I need to eat or I’ll die for real.”

“Whew. We made it!”

“Let’s check in and move. I also need to eat.”

Iseol led them as she checked her phone to see their exact seats and the trio could finally take a deep breath once seated. They all munched on the food Chung Myung brought and the two fell asleep soon after. Chung Myung could not sleep no matter how hard he tried though, so he just kept watching the scenery outside to cure his boredom. After about fifteen minutes of forcing himself to listen to some music and getting bored once again, he deeply sighed and leaned on the window.

Why did everything feel so bland today? He was supposed to be bubbling with excitement; he had raised his little chicks better than anyone else could, and his dojo finally beat those arrogant bastards this year. Yet he felt as if he shouldn’t have left his house at all.

He violently shook his head, thinking he was too tired to function properly. He glanced at the two sitting across him once more and left his seat to find the bathroom. Almost everyone was asleep in the cabin and the quiet that should calm his heart didn’t help him at all. He glanced at a window while passing by and saw a man getting jumped by some crazy person out of nowhere.

“Damn. Crazy bastard. Weird. Weird, weird day.”

He made his way to the bathroom and stood before it but no matter how hard he tried, the stupid door just wouldn’t open.

“Is this damn thing locked?”

While he forced the door with all his might, he heard a creak and removed his hands immediately.

“Oh no. Not again.”

He checked his left and right and whistled as he made his way to the next cabin, trying to avoid suspicion from the attendant passing by. This would not mark the first time he’d break a train’s door and they asked for a lot of money in return. Like, a whole lot.

He saw two people waiting outside the bathroom when he reached the end of the cabin and puffed his cheeks as he passed that one too. Why did everyone feel the need to pee at the same time today?! He was in a rush, damn it! He continued walking but didn’t forget to steal a few chocolate bars from the attendant who was passing by with a cart.

He prayed to whichever god he could think of to make the next bathroom available. He hastily walked toward the end of the cabin and was delighted to find it empty. Finally! He threw himself in there and sighed in relief. Chung Myung checked his reflection, deep in thought.

“Sheesh, I look so good today. Who looks this good this early in the day? Me.”

He smirked at his reflection and started thinking about what to eat when they arrived at Busan. He only snapped out of his thoughts upon hearing the weird noises from the outside. Were those screams? It didn’t sound like a group of lousy teenagers, and that was concerning enough for Chung Myung to unlock the door and push himself out. He came to regret that though, as he felt a few people yelling and pushing him, almost making him fall.

“What the hell?”

“Run! Everybody, run!”

He hung on to a seat so as not to fall, and heard the attendant yell as he also pushed him out of the way to run to the last wagon. He had no idea what the hell was happening. Did somebody go mad and start attacking people this early in the morning when even the sun hasn’t fully woken up yet?

His eyes scanned his surroundings as he saw more people running, and behind them was someone chasing them. His eyes met the bloodthirsty-looking woman, who very much seemed like a doomsday demon as she jumped on a man, making them both fall and then biting the flesh off of him. The woman’s bright, blue eyes that could be mistaken as white had odd, white veins spreading out from the corners. Her lower face was covered in blood and from her mouth was sagging the freshly-bitten flesh.

Chung Myung watched in shock as the bitten man’s body twisted horribly and his eyes turned the same blue-white colour as the woman’s. The two beasts noticed the panicked screams coming right from where Chung Myung was, and he was too late to realise that.

“Wh-What? What the…”

He mumbled to himself while the two beasts, accompanied by a few others who were bitten the same way and turned into monsters, closed the small distance quickly and attacked the people who stood as barriers between the beasts and Chung Myung. Their raspy hissing, along with snarling and gurgling sounded unreal. 

“Oh. Oh, hell no. What the fuck?”

He shook off the shock just then, and clumsily forced himself to get up to run. He followed the others who sprinted, dodging the monsters who turned in seconds and started chasing him relentlessly. He saw the door closing just as he approached and anxiously screamed at the man to hold it off.

“Hey! Wait! Wait! Let me in!”

He was the only sane and normal person left behind, as he saw from the closed, transparent glass door the people staring at him anxiously. He banged on the door with all his might, turning his head to check the beasts getting close.

“Open the goddamn door! Hey!”

The faces behind the door held different expressions. Some held arrogance while some held sorry looks that still weren’t sorry enough to let him in. The man who had closed the door right to his face stood in the front and started backing up as he saw the beats approaching.

“Ahhh! When I catch you assholes you’re done for! Especially you! You green-eyed asshole!”

He had no choice but to fight now. Those bizarre, hideous, wretched creatures might be tough, but Chung Myung was a tougher cookie in this cruel world!

One of the creatures approached Chung Myung like a hellhound ready to torture, and Chung Myung kicked it away like the ruler of hell punishing his servant. The powerful kick sent the creature flying toward the others, and they piled together like potato sacks. They were quick to get up, not conscious enough to care about broken bones, and Chung Myung spent the available few seconds scanning his surroundings.

He saw a baseball bat and wasn’t sure for what purpose it was brought on the train in the first place, but grabbed it skillfully and used it as his weapon to bash some skulls. He had a reputation for figuratively breaking heads anyway, so why not do it literally when given the chance?

Although he thought that momentarily, no matter how hard he hit them or kicked them, they would rise back again almost immediately. He decisively and repeatedly hit one of them’s head until the skull became visible, yet no signs of death were present.

He was getting tired of wasting his energy yet not even doing enough damage against these monsters.

“Oh, shit. Fuck.”

He whispered, wide-eyed, when he realised more of those were sprinting his way from the previous wagons, a hoard, even. His brief distraction caused a monster to hang onto his arm, while the others who recovered a bit slower this time also started to rise. He was truly fucked this time.

He closed his eyes and sighed. So, this was it, huh? He hoped at least Baek Cheon and Iseol would be safe from this bizarre yet lethal incident. His mind went hazy while he waited for his death, yet he was taken aback when the hands on his arm were gone and he was pulled behind by a strong hand. Wasn’t there only the door to his back?

“Who…?”

His question was answered when he saw the green-eyed man who shut the door to his face before pushing off the monsters. What, did he decide now was the time to help? The man also jumped inside after that and quickly closed the door just as the monsters reached them. There were now bloodthirsty monsters hissing and banging on the transparent glass door.

Chung Myung scanned the room to see people backing off and looking at him with odd expressions. He followed a few gazes and turned his head to the bat he was still tightly holding. It was painted red with the blood of the monsters, some flesh remained on it, and it smelled god awful. Did they think he’d beat them too or cause a scene for leaving him out? They were damn right.

“Hey, you green bastard. Why’d you close the fucking door on me?! Have some shame, shame!”

The man apologetically looked back at him and averted his gaze, unsure of what to say.

“…I apologise. I had to make sure you weren’t bitten.”

“That’s not an excuse! I would’ve become a monster in a second if I was bitten! You could come get me before the others even sprinted this way!”

“It’s not solely on me! Everyone here told me not to let you in!”

Chung Myung paused briefly to look back at everyone else again. It had barely been ten minutes since this chaos started, yet they were all selfish enough to let someone else die for their gain. He just let out a tsk, not seeing them worthy enough for more of his words and energy. He was tired enough from relentlessly beating the damn creatures anyway.

“Please calm down.”

He turned his head to where that soft voice came from and saw a man around his age standing before him. He had good looks and a composed stance amid chaos.

“I apologise for leaving you out, but you’re inside and safe now. We all panicked. We should find a solution to those instead of fighting.”

He pointed with his head to the relentless monsters banging their heads on the door. They had to find a solution before the door broke from the impact. He scowled at the green-eyed man when they made eye contact and stared at the monsters. Their eyes looked unfocused, like they saw them but only partially.

“What if we limit their vision?”

The others who were silently listening before made some noises at the idea.

“Will that work?”

“We can put some luggage there.”

“No. How will we get out if we need to?”

Chung Myung saw an old man in the back reading a newspaper from the corner of his eyes, and his eyes sparkled at the idea.

“Old man. Give me that.”

He stood before the unbothered old man and demanded the newspaper with his hand reaching forward.

“What, this? But I’m reading it.”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes with a sigh and tried to be patient.

“Old geezer, stop playing with me. Who even reads those in this age? Come, come, give it here.”

“The youth these days. So rude. Back in my days…”

The man gave up his beloved newspaper but not without complaint. Chung Myung’s patience ran out before he could listen to the rest and he made his way toward the door once again, pushing other people rudely in the process. He had no respect for these people now.

He splashed some water on the door from a bottle he got from some woman and stuck the pages of the newspaper on it. His idea seemed to work well, as the monsters lost sight of them and their voices calmed down soon enough.

“Whoa…”

“It worked!”

“So they can’t hear us well?!”

That question was answered when the zombies moaned and shuffled behind the door, trying to locate the source.

“Shush! Quiet.”

“Sorry! Sorry.”

“Let’s all whisper from now on. We don’t want to attract them by yelling.”

The man turned to Chung Myung and nodded his head.

“I’m Namgung Dowi. I apologise again. Tell me if you need anything and I’ll help you.”

Chung Myung just nodded and muttered his name. After everyone calmed down, the first thing they did was reach for their phones. At least there was still an internet connection. Chung Myung checked his socials first, and the hottest topic was ‘Zombies’. Seriously? He didn’t want to use that word, but they were dealing with zombies now?

He clicked on some news footage to get some detailed information yet was shocked to the core at the sight.

“…Therefore, it is advised for the citizens to stay inside and not leave their houses for a few days. Thanks to our government’s quick response, the violent attacks are being subsided. The military will keep you safe, so please trust them and wait for more information. All the world leaders are looking for a solution as several outbreaks of violence emerge all around each country, and… “

“She’s talking with full confidence, yet…”

He mumbled to himself, distrusting the words of the news reporter. He tried calling his friends to no avail and that made his insides twist with worry. The news footage showed so many car crashes and fires already, and if this was an outbreak all around the world, then they were truly fucked.

He wanted to sit down and have some peace of mind. He slowly walked toward the end of the cabin and just then realised from the better-looking seats that this was probably the business class. Explained the cocky, unhelpful gazes he got earlier.

When he thought he finally found an empty seat with no one’s belongings on it, he saw a small girl with buns sitting beside it, trembling with fear. She looked no older than four or five and she was quietly sniffling and holding onto her fluffy little toy. At first, he thought he should just walk away. It wasn’t his business to deal with someone else’s child. Yet, he couldn’t. The poor little girl looked so anxious and Chung Myung was weak at the sight of a crying child.

He sat down next to her slowly and pulled one of the chocolate bars he had stolen earlier from his pocket. He offered the chocolate to the girl, and as she slowly lifted her head, this time, he offered her a warm smile. The girl sniffled some more and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She then accepted the chocolate and struggled to open the package.

“Here, let me do it for you.”

The little girl accepted it with a small thanks and ate her chocolate while sniffling. Chung Myung guessed they had one thing in common: being unable to resist chocolate in any given situation.

“Are you scared of the monsters too?”

Chung Myung asked when the girl finished her chocolate, and she nodded fervently in response. He smiled again and patted her head calmly.

“I’m also scared. It’s okay to be scared. Where are your parents, little one?”

The girl tried to raise her head to look somewhere, but her height was too short for it. She got up and stepped on the seat, not caring about formalities at her little age, and pointed when she saw someone.

“My dad is watching us, Mister.”

“Oh?”

He stared at the location the girl was pointing at and frowned when he saw the familiar face from before. The man was watching them from afar with a strange expression, the Namgung Dowi guy right next to him.

“Mister, please don’t be mad at my dad.”

“Eh? How do you know I’m mad at him?”

Chung Myung was genuinely curious to know whether the kid witnessed their small quarrel. The kid just pouted and tried to explain herself.

“Just promise you won’t be mad at us, Mister.”

“I’m not mad at you, kid. We’ll see about your dad though. Don’t worry about these things, alright?”

He patted her head once again and the kid nodded with a small smile this time.

“I’m Soso! Soso!”

“Nice to meet you, Soso. I’m Chung Myung.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mister!”

Soso giggled with each head pat until they heard an announcement coming from the speakers.

“Attention! We are approaching Cheonan. We will stop there, so get ready if you intend to depart the train.”

Everyone started murmuring at those words. Maybe, Chung Myung could reunite with his friends. They would have survived, right? Surely, they had the skills to fight, just as Chung Myung did.

He was so deep in thought he didn’t notice the man standing right next to him. The man cleared his throat a few times to get his attention, and Chung Myung snapped out of his thoughts at that.

“Oh, here.”

He quickly got up to give him his seat back but was stopped by the handsome man.

“No, it’s okay for you to sit.”

“Just sit your ass down.”

Chung Myung interrupted the man and pointed at the now-empty seat. Soso curiously watched the two in the meantime.

“Um. Right. Thank you. But, uh, I owe you an apology. I should’ve helped you earlier. I’m sorry. Truly.”

He scoffed at those words and rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just stay out of my sight, Grinch. Ugh, I’m so pissed. I hate green and a bastard in all green is standing right before my poor eyes.”

The man’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the response. Chung Myung was a harsh man in his personal life too, but he couldn’t have possibly known that.

“Right.”

The man, Tang Bo, as Chung Myung would later learn, looked flustered and awkwardly stood on the same spot.

“I told you not to wear green again, Daddy!”

Soso’s yell made Chung Myung inspect Tang Bo in more detail. Even his coat and backpack were dark green. Did he love the colour that much? Chung Myung loved pink, but he doubted anyone would think that to be his first choice.

“Attention. We will reach Cheonan in an estimated two minutes.”

Their expressions turned serious as the announcement cut through the silence. Tang Bo readied Soso just in case, however, everyone jumped in shock when they heard a thud coming from the window. That singular noise turned into plural ones from each window since there were so many of the creatures sprinting their way at the noise. They banged on the windows and there were a lot of them. The blood from their mouths rubbed off on the windows and left a disgusting pattern. The driver of the train picked up the speed and some of the creatures got crushed as they fell on the railway.

Tang Bo closed Soso’s eyes and turned his shocked face to Chung Myung’s.

“What the hell are those anyway?”

“Zombies!”

Soso’s yell, just like the news from before, made a lot of sense. Those did look like zombies. But why the hell did they have to go through these crazy motherfuckers instead of the slow-walking, stupid ones usually depicted in the media?

“I guess they’re quite sensitive to both noise and sight in clear light.”

They all sighed as the train travelled at the usual speed, getting away from the flesh-eaters. Everyone’s uneasy state and yells alerted the zombies, and they were once again hissing and banging on the door, which quieted down the noise inside.

He sighed and leaned on the wall, thinking of what the hell to do next.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

He turned his gaze at the green man, who now sat by the window with little Soso on his lap.

“Come, sit. All the other seats are taken and there’s a long way until Daejeon.”

Chung Myung immediately accepted the offer. He was tired and worried, and he wanted to gather his energy to survive. Not for himself, but for his friends too. They were his family and he had to make sure to find them.

He sighed worriedly and checked his phone again to see if there was a call, but the same, blank screen greeted him each time.

“Are you worried, Mister?”

Soso’s curious eyes were inspecting his face and the phone he tightly held. Was it that obvious?

“Oh, yes. Yes, I am. I can’t reach my friends and that worries me.”

“Which wagon were they in?”

This time Tang Bo asked with curiosity and empathetic eyes.

“Wagon 4. I came a long way from there and got caught up in the chaos.”

“Oh? Maybe you can see them when we get off the train. Don’t lose hope.”

“Well, I know they’ve got the skills to survive. Anyway, where were you two headed?”

“Busan!”

“Same here, Little Soso.”

Chung Myung smiled warmly, a few words were exchanged, and everyone minded their own business once again.

✿✿✿

“It’s finally Daejeon.”

“But why is it so quiet?”

“Nobody’s outside.”

Murmurs erupted from all around as the Daejeon station finally came into sight. Tang Bo helped Soso wear her backpack. Soso carefully approached the sleeping Chung Myung and woke him up with gentle shakes. Chung Myung was surprised to see the small face smiling brightly before him. It was a cute sight to wake up to.

Chung Myung took the baseball bat he wiped off before and slowly got off the train. There was no sight of zombies or human beings outside, oddly. No noise could be heard either, and maybe that should’ve made them relax, but it was quite unsettling.

Chung Myung’s eyes scanned the other people as everyone started to get off the train. Some had already made their way to the second floor of the station while some didn’t want to stray too far away from the train. His worry doubled when everyone got off, yet no signs of Baek Cheon or Iseol were visible.

He quickly but carefully moved upstairs where the majority of the people were. He inspected each face, yet still did not see his friends at all.

His head snapped in a certain direction when he heard a gruelling scream, and everyone gasped at the same time. From the corner of a wall, they saw a man dragging his feet and vomiting blood.

“Help…Help me…”

He kept repeating those words and soon after was tackled by a zombie who rushed forward from the same corner. Chung Myung readied his bat to fight off the monster, and at that time, more than fifty zombies in military uniforms sprinted from behind the wall with their twisted bodies.

“Oh. Oh fuck. Run! Run!”

Several screams were heard as Chung Myung also intended to run, but at that time, he saw Soso standing still while a few zombies reached their hands toward her. Her dad was already running to her aid, but it would be too late. Chung Myung jumped forward and swung his bat at the zombies, smashing their heads and pushing them away from Soso. He held the girl and started running as fast as possible while Bo tailed them.

They all ran without looking back and almost made it to the train when other zombies in uniforms descended from other stairs right across their way. Tang Bo pushed off some zombies that tried to attack Chung Myung and Soso. Chung Myung swung his bat ruthlessly, smashing whichever monster came his way and opening the way after returning the girl to her dad in a haze.

“Fuck! I should’ve never left that damn train!”

Whoever could dodge the zombies tried to board the train through whichever door they could open. Some failed at that when a few doors led to several zombies falling on them and spreading through the ground, making it even harder for the others to dodge and reach the doors. The train slowly started to depart at that time, turning it into a “You either make it or you don’t” situation.

It was like running through a field full of mines while the enemy also dropped bombs from above.

Tang Bo found an opening and securely pushed Soso inside. Namgung Dowi was also there, and he understood Tang Bo’s plea from his eyes. He could not board the train just yet. He ran toward the violent man who saved Soso and pushed the zombies who were crowding him. That gave Chung Myung an opening to breathe and fight back.

“Hey, Green! We need to board the train, so stop stalling!”

“I’m not stalling! Can’t you see I’m helping you?”

Chung Myung smashed another head and made his way through an opening he could find. If he wasted any more time, he’d miss the train and be attacked collectively by all the zombies. He ran among the screams of those who couldn’t make it on time and saw a few kids getting jumped.

His heart ached in immense pain. Those were literal kids who most probably lost their parents and cried in shock. He could help them if he wasn’t in such a dire situation, but the chaos blinded his eyes.

He understood he should think about no one else but himself in such a situation when a zombie jumped on him from the side and caused him to fall to the concrete floor in pain.

“Sir! Mister? Un, what even is his name?”

Tang Bo tried to run to the man’s aid and only then realised he didn’t even know his name. He was also almost tackled by a zombie along the way though, so he did his best to kick its head and the others coming his way.

Chung Myung pushed the zombie’s blood-stained mouth with one hand and tried to get it off of him with the other. These damned monsters were so powerful and for what?

“You fucking leech! Ugh!”

He pushed the zombie with all his might and saw another one coming his way from the corner of his eye. Oh, this was the shittiest day of his 29 years of living. He felt the zombie’s saliva drooping on his face and gathered all his strength to push it away. It worked, at last, pushing the zombie a bit far from him and giving Chung Myung time to recover.

The train started to pick up speed, so Chung Myung had no choice but to run and dodge the zombies the best he could. Tang Bo also ran behind him, feeling out of breath already.

He got ready to throw a few punches and kicks at the zombies relentlessly running his way but his eyes widened in shock when he saw the zombies getting a flying kick right in their faces.

“Which crazy bastard..?”

He saw the familiar figure standing before him with relief visible in his eyes, and the man shook Chung Myung’s whole body to get him back in his tracks.

“Don’t just stare at me and run! Iseol, this way!”

Baek Cheon pulled Chung Myung’s arm and the two started running once again. He saw Iseol right next to him this time, the bat he previously lost now in her hands.

“Noona!”

“We’re almost there! Let’s go!”

Iseol screamed, turning her head to check the zombies from time to time. Namgung Dowi yelled at them to signal where to go, and he pulled Chung Myung and Tang Bo inside first. Chung Myung wasted no time pulling his two friends the same way and they closed the door immediately, finally finding some time to catch their breath.

Everyone exhaled, drenched in sweat, and their hearts beating in their rib cages with violent, messy movements.

“Mister…”

Chung Myung lifted his head to see little Soso staring worriedly at him, her green eyes uneasy and her little hand resting on his arm.

“I’m alright, Soso. Were you worried?”

Soso nodded her head and gave Chung Myung a warm hug. He discreetly checked Tang Bo’s face to see the man averting his gaze with a small smile and scratching the back of his head. Chung Myung also lightly laughed, patting Soso’s back.

“Holy shit. That was so fucking crazy. Chung Myung-ah, are you alright?”

“Do I look alright to you, you madman?”

“It was rhetorical. Fuck you.”

“No, fuck you, Dong Ryong.”

“You wanna go at it again, Cho Sam?”

Chung Myung and Baek Cheon proceeded with their usual quarrel and Iseol felt so glad to have finally met her friend. The trio was now complete.

“Stop bickering and cursing. There’s a child here. And you’re gonna attract those damned zombies.”

The two stopped immediately upon hearing Iseol’s words and stared at the bewildered Soso and surprised Bo, who had both his hands on Soso’s ears to keep him from hearing the curses thrown around.

“Oh, oh wait. I apologise. Hi!”

“Hey there.”

After that, introductions were made in the tight space, and everyone turned their attention to Tang Bo, who was the only one without an introduction. The man just kept staring ahead, and his eyes looked unfocused and hazy.

“Uh, you good? Hey.”

Dowi touched Bo’s arm, and he finally snapped out of his trance. Nobody could make sense of the weird look on his face, but they didn’t question it further when the man finally introduced himself.

“Uh, sorry. My mind went blank for a moment. My name’s Tang Bo, and this is my daughter, Soso.”

Chung Myung repeated the man’s name in his mind. Tang Bo. That name felt weirdly familiar, yet no connotations popped up in Chung Myung’s mind.

“Uh. So we’re all going to Busan?”

“Yup. All our families and friends are there, and there’s a rumour around that there’s a safe place in Busan. A shelter.”

“I guess it’s everyone’s best shot right now. Let’s keep quiet and try to get some rest until we reach Busan.”

“It’s best if someone keeps watch. You guys try to rest. I’ll check the windows and such. Stay low on the ground.”

Chung Myung knew he wouldn’t be able to peacefully rest anyway, so making sure nothing out of the ordinary happened could be his responsibility for now. One thing that he noticed when they went into a tunnel was that the zombies outside the doors lost their focus in the dark. So, they were indeed weak in dim light. He hummed and crouched down, staying outside the zombies’ eyes to avoid attraction.

Tang Bo held Soso in his arms as the little girl closed her eyes in exhaustion. Chung Myung. That was what the man was referred to at first, but then he heard the name Cho Sam and felt like the solid ground he stood on violently shook. That name brought happy, yet painful memories into Bo’s mind. Could that be him? His eyes reminded Bo of him, and even the name was the same. But why didn’t the man react when he introduced himself, then? He opened his eyes to inspect Cho Sam’s, no, Chung Myung’s face, and he felt blood rush to his heart. Did he finally find him? Then, why did he use a different name? He had to make sure he wasn’t being paranoid or delusional before he could move forward.

✿✿✿

It had been barely about forty minutes after they left the station, and Chung Myung kept watching the trees outside with a deep frown on his face.

He had no idea what would happen from now on. From what he had seen while passing by each station and the news, the situation was quite severe. How could it not be, when those crazy monsters attacked even when their bones were crushed and their bodies were smashed? He had seen smoke rising from various places, and there were surely a lot of car crashes. Not many people could survive, and the numbers could drop even more any second.

He felt like life was over. Were they going to start as a new civilization or something? Would it be too exaggerated to think that? All the zombie movies or series were like that though. What if they went back to guns and “every man for himself” like The Last Of Us? He sighed, wanting to go back to how things were a few days ago when they partied and drank until they passed out. He even wanted to go back to fighting those gang gremlins.

“Oh, fuck! What now?”

He hung on somewhere at the impact of the train shaking and halting on its tracks. He was sure there were at least about ten minutes to their next stop according to the Maps he so often kept checking, so what the hell was the problem now?

Everyone else also shook at the impact, rubbing their eyes and getting up before they could grasp the situation. Some stupid zombies by the closed doors bolted toward the door, their heads bouncing off of the hard material.

“What the hell is happening?”

“Geez, give us a minute to catch our br-”

“Attention! Attention! Get off the train immediately! Get off!”

Their faces went sour at the voice coming from the speakers. What was that supposed to mean?

“No, is this guy crazy?”

Chung Myung’s eyes went wide while everyone else was complaining. Okay, he wasn’t some kind of superhuman but he had better senses than most people and he could easily feel the ground shaking beneath him. He had no time to waste as he opened the door and rushed everyone out.

“Off! Get off!”

Everyone jumped outside in frantic states and Chung Myung urged them to run as far away as they could. However, they could not outrun the fast-approaching train with half of its wagons on fire, and only seconds remained between them and the collision.

“No way…It’s going to crash!”

They had no choice but to watch as the train collided with theirs, pushing almost everyone into a death sentence. The impact caused everyone to fall on the ground or get thrown to some other place. Grey smoke rose from every corner and sparkles showed up in the air from the cables that were cut off in the process.

The worst thing still wasn’t the collision though, it was the zombies that would be freed upon the impact and would not die so easily like humans.

Chung Myung heard an unbearable ringing in his ears and found it hard to open his eyes. He heard some yelling, yet could not make sense of the words. He slowly opened his eyes to a blurry vision and felt an immense headache. He blinked continuously until he regained his vision, the ringing in his ears also slowing down to hear a crying Soso.

“Soso!”

He crawled toward the child in the tight, triangle-shaped space where they were trapped. He turned his face to see a wide window, and several zombies were banging on it to reach the small group. He felt like a miserable prey and passed through Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol, who seemed to be experiencing the same state as him.

“Soso! It’s okay, it’s okay!”

A distressed Soso was crying while trying to shake Bo awake with no answer at all. Her hands were trembling as she kept screaming his name to no avail. His head seemed to be injured from the fall he took as he lay unconscious on the ground.

“Tang Bo! Bo! Wake up!”

Chung Myung violently shook the man. That window could shatter any second and they had to get out and start running for their lives if they wanted to survive. Being stuck in a tight space with several bloodthirsty zombies meant instant death, and being pierced to shreds.

“Bo! Wake up!”

He slapped the man’s cheeks this time while also trying to calm down Soso. That seemed to work better since Bo’s head moved slowly as he tried to open his eyes. Chung Myung kept talking and guiding the man in the process.

Tang Bo could not grasp his surroundings for a good minute when he gained consciousness. He saw two heads staring at him worriedly when he opened his eyes, and his hand unknowingly reached for Soso. The girl sobbed in relief at the movement, and Chung Myung helped him get up while Iseol, Baek Cheon, and Dowi also joined them. Dowi’s arm seemed to be slightly injured but nobody had major injuries other than Bo.

“We have to go! Chung Myung!”

“I know! I know.”

Chung Myung sighed and stared at Tang Bo. The man just nodded his head in return, grunting in pain upon the sudden movement.

“There’s a hole here. I’ll go first and check for any zombies. Bo, can you walk?”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Tang Bo gulped and held Soso close to himself. He had no choice but to be fine.

“Hyung, Noona, help Bo and Soso just in case.”

Chung Myung didn’t wait for an answer and crawled toward the sunlight. The hole was a small one but he could fit in there, although his movement was restricted. He pushed himself out and scanned the grounds, seeing no signs of the zombies yet but hearing a tiny crack in the window.

“Fuck. Come out!”

He pulled Soso first while Iseol pushed herself out. Baek Cheon and Dowi helped Bo get out as several other cracks were heard and soon after that, the window completely shattered.

The zombies, hissing and moaning through their blood-stained teeth, made their way out one by one. They crawled like insects, uncaring of whether they had a few bones broken in the process. They didn’t even care about the pieces of glass that got stuck to different parts of their bodies, or even their eyes.

Iseol held Soso and Chung Myung tried to help Bo run, however, the man looked like he was about to faint on the spot.

“Fuck. Hyung, help me carry him.”

Chung Myung held Bo on his back and started running like a wild boar. He was strong, possibly stronger than a lot of people combined. It was a bizarre phenomenon that no one could explain but it came in handy at times like this.

The group had already started running wherever they could, avoiding and dodging the zombies popping out from the wagons they were previously stuck in.

A few of the survivors were also running around, yet nobody knew where to go in the chaos. Chung Myung saw a man in official attire, trapped by a few zombies.

‘This man could be our only shot.’

“Hyung, you have to save that man!”

He watched as Baek Cheon sprinted and landed a kick on a zombie, also punching and slamming the others. He helped the man up and held his arm while guiding him. This man knew how to work a train, and he was their ticket to Busan now.

“Hey, old man! You know where to find a train?”

“The-The station is about half an hour long if we run! There is a shelter for us in Busan, so we have to reach there no matter what. The problem is, we can’t outrun all of those monsters! We’ll die! And I’m injured!”

Chung Myung stared at the man’s leg. It was true that he was limping, and Tang Bo had already fallen unconscious on his back. Iseol also seemed dazed while Soso had her hand on her mouth, trying to stay quiet.

They were lucky that there were some containers around. This was probably a spot used as storage and the huge containers helped limit the zombies’s eyesight.

The group saw one of those containers and stopped behind it for a moment to inspect the situation. They were lucky to have departed the train on time, as those inside were mostly dead or caught by the zombies. The air was dirtied by grey smoke, which caused the zombies to have poor eyesight.

Another problem was the railway, which was near a small village. Some zombies were already making their way toward the noise, and there would be a lot of them on their way if they attempted to run for it. The East Daegu Station they were headed to probably had a lot of those monsters too, so they couldn’t blindly run and hope for the best.

Chung Myung was deep in thought when he heard a whimper. Namgung Dowi, who seemed so calm and composed before, looked like he was about to shit himself now.

“What are you..?”

“I know what you’re thinking. We’ll die if we run now. However, there’s another container right there, and…”

He pointed in a direction, a bit secluded from the zombies and behind some trees. It wasn’t intended to be hidden, just placed randomly in that area for convenience. Yet, Chung Myung understood what those words meant.

“You want to hide for some time and rest?”

Dowi vigorously nodded his head while checking the surroundings. The zombies were chasing a few students who decided to run along the railings, and just like Chung Myung had guessed, they were welcomed by some zombies halfway through.

“They won’t be able to see well at night. We can distract them with some noises and walk slowly. That container won’t attract many zombies either, since it’s placed a bit on the higher ground behind the trees.”

“That sounds like the only plausible option.”

“Let’s go with it. We’re dead meat the moment we try to run.”

“I agree. We need the injured to rest for a while.”

Everyone agreed quietly and the hardest part of the plan came. There wasn’t anything in sight until that container and the zombies would spot them in no time.

“Does anyone have their phone?”

“I do.”

“I don’t.”

“I have mine.”

Chung Myung nodded his head at the responses.

“Good. I have mine too but we need spares just in case. Here’s the plan: I'm going to leave my phone somewhere far from here and activate some music from my watch. They’re sure to follow that sound, so we’ll run as fast and quietly as possible in the meantime. No yelling, not even whispering. Keep a low profile, alright?”

Everyone nodded and crouched down to wait for Chung Myung. He scanned the place again and hid behind whatever objects or trees he could find. He left his phone far from the container and got back to the group carefully.

He pressed some buttons and played the music as planned. He could never guess Le Serrafim would save his life like this but fate was a strange phenomenon, he reckoned.

They watched the zombies flock toward the phone with deranged sounds. Chung Myung had Iseol hold Soso in her arms while he supported Bo since the other man was half-conscious now. Baek Cheon also held the driver guy, Hyun Sang as they learned, and the group made their way to the container, in crouched positions.

It was huge, and they all hid behind it while Hyun Sang unlocked it with his keys. They were grateful to have come across the man, or else they’d be doomed. He opened the door with trembling hands and everyone rushed inside one by one.

Chung Myung was about to do the same when he saw a bald man in a yellow tracksuit run toward them stupidly.

“No, is this guy crazy? He’s going to attract them.”

He hissed through his teeth and signalled the guy to crouch down, which the dumbass only understood after several repetitions. He had already attracted a few zombies though, and Chung Myung had no choice but to accept the man since he would probably only wait and bang on the door otherwise.

They were lucky most zombies were still around the phone, pushing each other to reach the non-existent victim. Chung Myung grabbed the clueless guy by his neck and threw him inside, closing the door and signalling everyone not to make a single sound. It sucked that the dumb asshole attracted a few zombies but they would go away once they had no sight or sound of them. They stood in absolute silence and darkness for a few minutes until Chung Myung’s low voice could be heard.

“Only whispers from now on. I’ll strangle anyone who shouts. Except you, Soso.”

“Thanks, Mister.”

He glared at the tracksuit man after that, their eyes slowly getting used to the dark.

“Hey, Squidward. You yellow, ugly fucking goblin. You almost got us killed, asshole. Ugh, I should just smash your head right here…”

He raised his clenched hand in an attempt to break his skull but was stopped by Iseol and Baek Cheon while the baldie held his hands close to his face to protect it.

“We’ll deal with him later!”

“Shush!”

“Oh. Sorry, sorry.”

Chung Myung grunted and pulled himself back, sending one last icy stare the man’s way. Their priority was dealing with the injured for now.

“By the way, make sure your phones or any other electronic devices are on silent mode.”

Iseol’s words had everyone check their belongings twice. Chung Myung approached Tang Bo in the meantime and saw the man sweating and gulping.

“Hey, Bo, hang in there.”

He turned to the group to ask whether they had some first-aid kits, which they did. It seemed most of them carried their backpacks after boarding the train for a second time and stuffed them with whatever they could find in the wagons, not caring about who they belonged to. Even Soso had her tiny backpack, and Chung Myung felt so stupid for walking around with barely a baseball bat and some stolen chocolates.

“Let me handle the injuries. You go rest, Chung Myung-ah.”

Iseol put her hand on Chung Myung’s shoulder as she spoke softly. Since the trio spent so many years at the dojo and had constant fights with other dojos, they grew up with several injuries and had to learn how to deal with basic ones. They could just pray for Bo to not have a concussion though, because their skills could only help so much. Thankfully, he seemed to just need some rest and food. Hyun Sang’s foot seemed to be swollen but unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot to do for that other than some painkillers. Dowi’s arm was slightly cut in a few places by some pieces of glass but he also seemed fine.

“Mister.”

Soso was clinging onto Chung Myung, her gaze determined while Iseol attempted to treat her dad. She dropped her backpack from her shoulder for a moment and rummaged through it to find a small box and offered it to Chung Myung.

“What is it, Soso?”

“Our family is good with medicine. Here, help my dad drink this.”

His shocked gaze went between Soso and the box’s contents. Could it be trusted? There were small bottles filled with odd-coloured liquids, and some pills inside. The thing was, they didn’t seem cheap or knockoff drugs at all. The contents lay on top of a soft, green fabric that shone elegantly and the small bottles looked like they were made from some expensive material.

“Damn. Do you guys run some secret organisation or something?”

Soso smiled widely at that, seemingly delighted to hear such words from the Mister she came to love in a few hours.

“We do! My dad is very important, Mister. He has a lot of-”

“Soso.”

“Oh. Oops.”

Soso awkwardly laughed at being called upon by her dad and Tang Bo’s dazed eyes held a hint of amusement. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he used his family’s medical knowledge to his advantage to earn the favour of some important people. He was able to rise through the ranks quickly and give Soso a better life that way. It was better not to speak of this stuff in this exact situation, though.

“Please bring me the box, Chung Myung.”

He did as he was asked and helped him drink one of the bottles and a pill. The rest was up to Iseol as she bandaged the man’s head. Soso sat by her dad, singing him a lullaby, and patting his hair. Chung Myung guessed that’s what Bo must be doing when the girl is sick.

After everyone was treated and ate some snacks from the backpacks, silence filled the room once again. The shared question in their minds was, now what? The insanity of the day was now dawning on them, and their futures were blurry, just like their minds. Nobody wanted to speak, so everyone just lay down while they made the baldie guard the door. Beopjeong, he said, was his name. A silly name for a goofy guy in a yellow tracksuit.

It was barely past 2 pm when they all settled down. Chung Myung fell asleep listening to the distant sounds of the zombies with Soso curled up in his arms, right next to Tang Bo. The girl felt safe around him and Chung Myung wasn’t going to deny her request to sleep together, and close to her father.

✿✿✿

“Ah.”

A soft gasp escaped Chung Myung’s lips as he woke up from another nightmare. He had never been on good terms with a peaceful sleep, and he was quite sure he would never be, especially after today. The first thing his eyes caught was the baldie sleeping against the door when he should be guarding. Tsk, tsk. Then, he saw Baek Cheon and Iseol sleeping side by side, not too far away from him. In a distant corner lay Dowi, and a bit far from him lay Hyun Sang. How long had it been? He checked his watch to see only about two and a half hours had passed and gazed at his side where Soso was curled up. He chuckled lightly, turning on his side to drop the jacket over their bodies on the girl. He recognized it to be Bo’s, the dark green colour persistently waving at him once again.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the green-eyed man staring at his antics with a soft smile. Tang Bo looked well enough now, as good as one could look in the dark, he supposed.

“Creep. Why are you watching me?”

“You’re right beside me. Why would I not savour the sight?”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened even more, placing a terrifying expression on his face. That was his shocked-to-the-core face that he never let out but Tang Bo, unaware of that, gulped in fear. Was it too fast and too soon?

“Um. Joking! I was joking. Haha.”

Chung Myung’s eyes returned to their original shape as he pouted at the awkward explanation.

“Oh. You better be. How dare you flirt with me while your kid is sleeping here, unaware of the shame you brought upon her?”

“Now, why are you talking like a Victorian woman?”

That left Chung Myung flustered to the brim. Was it too obvious he was bad at flirting? He did beat up his first crush, after all. And the second. The third too, but whatever.

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“Am not.”

“Are too..”

“Don’t piss me off. Do you want to be fed to the zombies?”

“No way! You are such a violent man, Chung Myung.”

Chung Myung scoffed at that. Violence was nature’s rule, okay? And Chung Myung was a man of nature.

“Hey, how old are you?”

“Hm? I’m 28.”

“Heh. I’m 29. You brat, you can’t address me by my name now.”

Tang Bo lightheartedly laughed at the man’s victorious tone. Well, he supposed it was an accomplishment to be the older one.

“I’ll just call you hyung, then.”

“I guess that would do.”

“It has to if you don’t want to be called ‘Mister’.”

“Blegh.”

Chung Myung’s face distorted at that. If there was one thing he hated in this world, it was feeling old. The dojo was always surrounded by fresh faces of youth, and he often found himself feeling old and alone among the kids. Having a few friends who shared your passion helped with it, but he felt like something was missing from his life. He just couldn’t place a finger on it.

“Hyung, how can you fight so well against those creatures?”

“Well…Years of experience, I suppose. Me and those two over there teach martial arts in Busan. We used to be the students but decided to stick with the dojo as the masters.”

“Woah. Which one? I spent most of my time in Seoul, but maybe I know it.”

Tang Bo’s eyes held genuine admiration at those words.

“It’s the Hwasan Dojo. Plum blossoms and all.”

“Woah! I heard its popularity has been on the rise. Hyung, promise me you’ll teach Soso how to fight once we get to Busan.”

Chung Myung’s eyes met the expectant gaze of Tang Bo and his lips parted slightly. He smirked and decided a little teasing would be good for his soul.

“What makes you think I’ll stick with you once we reach Busan?”

“Eh? You won’t? Why? Do you have a family you have to find? Will you leave the safe place?”

Chung Myung chuckled at the obnoxious questions listed by the man.

“Geez, do you want me to stay with you that much?”

“Well…I would- Um, Soso would like that.”

Tang Bo averted his gaze, blushing slightly and thanking the darkness for hiding it so well. He was sure that was his hyung, but he had no idea why the man didn’t know or remember him.

“…I guess I would also like that. Stick together with everyone, I mean. Except for the baldie. I don’t have a family in Busan, just my two friends here. I guess I could call the little chicks in the dojo my family too.”

“I hope you find them, Hyung. And I hope we can stick together even then.”

The shining green eyes held an odd expression that Chung Myung could not understand.

“Yeah. I guess the living go on living, worrying about themselves.”

Bo stayed silent at that. It felt so unsettling to hear those words. A lot of people were dead in a flash; no, they came back to life as monsters. Has fate always been this cruel?

Chung Myung inspected Bo’s features while the man was deep in thought, frowning with distant eyes. His big, green eyes were shining in even the darkness like precious emeralds. There was a clear contrast between his sharp eyes and Chung Myung’s softer, smaller, pink ones. Although Chung Myung’s face had softer features, his expressions often scared people away. He was sure Tang Bo gave the opposite impression to outsiders.

“Why were you headed to Busan?”

Tang Bo’s thoughts dissipated and he turned his attention to Chung Myung once again.

“We were going to visit my family.”

“You don’t seem all that upset about missing your visit.”

Tang Bo snickered, yet Chung Myung could sense the bitterness radiating from his expression. He guessed he might have sprinkled salt on a fresh wound.

“Well…I’m not on good terms with my family. It’s just…”

He glanced at the sleeping Soso and started playing with her dishevelled hair. He started speaking in an even lower voice this time.

“They weren’t happy about me having Soso at such a young age. I wasn’t either, at first. I know I wasn’t fully innocent but I wish they had at least helped me out a little instead of pressuring me to get rid of her. I haven’t had contact with them all these years until my dad decided to reach out to me. They wanted to invite us to a family gathering, finally ready to accept us, I guess.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that. She’s a little angel. I’m glad you raised her this way.”

Chung Myung smiled gently as Tang Bo kept playing with her hair, his lips also smiling endearingly.

“I am, too. I wouldn’t change it for anything I lost. At the end of the day, all I have right now is her and I’ll make sure she survives at all costs.”

“Look at you being so sappy. Who knew Shrek could speak so well?”

“The first thing I do when we reach Busan will be getting rid of all the green.”

“Sheesh. I'm kidding, kidding. Green suits you well, so don’t.”

Tang Bo focused on the gentle smile Chung Myung offered him and his heart skipped a few beats. That line was so familiar to Bo, but his heart broke a bit when he realised his hyung said those words to him, believing it was the first time. Well, he couldn’t blame the man. He didn’t recognize Chung Myung at first, either. He was getting impatient, but he didn’t dare to force the man to remember.

The two stared at each other without conversing. They felt a bizarre yet comforting connection to each other even though it had barely been hours since they met. These types of chaotic, almost apocalyptic situations enabled others to bond more easily and steadily than usual, so Chung Myung wasn’t too weirded out by it. Soso also stuck to Chung Myung like glue, which was quite odd by Bo’s standards. The girl had no family other than Bo, and she wasn’t this comfortable even with his close friends.

Chung Myung felt sleep dawning on him at the comforting presence of Bo. He let himself fall asleep peacefully and saw no nightmares for the first time in a while.

✿✿✿

“Hyung.”

“Ugh.”

“Hyung, wake up. Hyung.”

Chung Myung grunted at the feeling of being shaken lightly. He recognized Bo’s voice calling out for him, and Soso was making some side comments in the meantime.

“Mister loves sleeping too much.”

“He’s an old soul, Soso.”

“But you said he’s a year older than you, Daddy.”

“…Which is still old. I’m younger and fresher!”

Chung Myung slowly opened his eyes to see the father-daughter duo bickering while they both kept their hands on him.

“You punk. How dare you call me old?”

“Eh? I didn’t say it! It was Soso, Soso.”

“Who even sacrifices their daughter like this? Crazy bastard.”

“My dad is crazy, Mister! I can only trust you now.”

The trio kept bickering, and Chung Myung and Soso ganged up against a frustrated Tang Bo.

“I see all of you have gained your strength.”

“Oh. Baek Cheon hyung. What’s the time?”

“Nearly 7 pm. It will be fully dark soon, and the zombies are making less noise as time passes.”

Everyone was up and well now, rested and ready to run off to wherever. Iseol held the phone she borrowed from Dowi and turned on the flashlight, scanning the inside of the container to see everything better than before.

“Gather up, everyone.”

Curious eyes focused on Iseol and everyone felt ready to get the hell out of the container. She suggested some ideas and everyone contributed to the escape plan.

“Should we play some music again while we run away?”

“I’m not sure. What if other zombies away from the area are alerted too?”

“We need someone to observe the situation outside, first.”

The opinions were divided among the group. Both options seemed a bit risky when they thought about it. Chung Myung decided that music was not a safe option and put out his suggestion.

“Listen, let’s not play any music for now. Iseol will scan the area first since she’s quick and quiet on her feet. If we stick by the trees and crawl our way out, we’ll put a good distance between us and them. They won’t be able to see or hear us from a distance so our main concern will just be the zombies on our way.”

“How do we deal with them though? The station might be full of zombies too.”

Chung Myung sighed and shared a knowing look with Baek Cheon and Iseol. These three were the ones who could fight well, and that meant they would be responsible for the vanguard.

“Dowi, Baldie, can you two fight?”

“I can.”

“I’m just an old man! How can I possibly fight?”

Beopjeong’s words earned him dissatisfied looks and grunts. He was the least liked in the group right now so he could at least pretend to try.

“You didn’t seem like an old man when you ran to us like a madman, you bastard!”

“Well…”

“Ugh, shut up. Listen, everyone. Me, Baek Cheon, and Iseol will clear the way. Hyun Sang needs to be safe to work the train, so he will run in the middle with Soso. Can your ankle handle it?”

Hyun Sang enthusiastically nodded and confirmed him.

“The medicine Tang Bo gave me oddly worked well. The swelling’s down and there’s little pain.”

“Then, that’s settled. Right, Bo?”

“Of course! I’ll trust you with Soso, then. Please, take care of her.”

“I promise I’ll keep her safe no matter what.”

Tang Bo smiled but there was clear concern in his eyes. He would trust it if Chung Myung was the one carrying the girl but there was no helping now. He turned to Chung Myung, understanding what their positions would be.

“So, that means…”

“Tang Bo, Namgung Dowi, and Baldie will guard the back and the sides. We will fight those zombies but some are bound to get past us. Don’t hesitate and smash their heads!”

“Um…”

Dowi raised his hand like a student in class and Chung Myung permitted him to speak. He was the obvious leader of the small group.

“I do want to smash their heads, but with what?”

The vanguard trio smirked at the question and turned their heads in the same direction. The others followed their gaze, squinting in the dark, and saw some metal sticks sitting on the floor.

“These will be our weapons. They’re sure to crack some skulls, so hit it well!”

“Yes!”

“I’ll break some heads!”

“Those damned zombies will cry!”

“Now, let’s not get too excited.”

Chung Myung warned them and everyone got their belongings hurriedly. It was finally time to leave this damned place, and they couldn’t be happier, although scared too.

Iseol opened the door slowly and got herself out, scanning the area. They were far from the zombies, and no signs of them around the container were visible. She lifted her hand to signal the others to come out in the agreed formation, and they all crawled their way out of the container.

Putting some distance between them and the zombies was easier than they imagined. They came across some on the railway, but the leading trio quietly killed them by piercing through their heads with the sticks. They ran nonstop for more than half an hour, and the East Daegu Station finally showed itself. There were a few trains around, but there could be zombies inside so they’d have to carefully search around.

“Shit!”

Bo’s attention immediately turned to the source of the voice, and he saw Beopjeong on the ground, holding his foot. When he heard the familiar hissing sound, he pulled Beopjeong with him and hid behind a train.

The zombie hissed as its head twitched continuously. It was trying to spot the source of the noise, and Bo had to place his hand over Beopjeong’s mouth to keep the man from grunting.

‘You only tripped and fell, fucker. Why are you so overdramatic?!’

Bo’s eyes scanned their surroundings but he only saw the place empty. They were all rushing to the station, so because of Beopjeong, he had also fallen back and lost the group. Great.

Chung Myung led the group, and his eyes widened in surprise when he looked back to see a certain someone missing. The baldie was gone too, and he stopped for a moment to learn about it.

“Where the hell is Bo?”

“Huh?”

The group turned their heads only then, and Soso’s eyes never stopped scanning around from Iseol’s arms.

“Daddy!”

“Shhh! Quiet, Soso.”

Soso bit her lips and nodded her head. She was anxious but she knew they had to keep quiet.

Everyone held their breaths when they heard a few zombies hissing and snarling. Thankfully, they had continued to stroll around without noticing them.

After that, Hyun Sang led them to search for an empty train. He finally found one and thoroughly searched the singular wagon to make sure no zombies were on it. It was a small one, and the zombies could easily climb on it, but it was their only choice.

He turned his head to the group and signalled them to board the wagon. Chung Myung whispered to the group to go ahead while he waited for Bo’s return. He didn’t give two fucks about the baldie but his heart raced surprisingly fast at the thought of the man being unable to make it on time. He anxiously scanned the place in search of the man yet could only see and hear the hissing zombies wandering around.

He checked the others getting inside while Hyun Sang started moving the wagon and ran back to where he last saw Bo and Beopjeong, only to find the spot empty.

“Psst! Psst! Hyung!”

He snapped his head in the direction the whisper came from and saw Tang Bo hiding in a corner with the baldie. He sighed in relief and made his way to him in a rush.

“Did you come back for me?”

“Of course! Soso is anxiously waiting, so stop stalling and get your ass in the damn wagon.”

He glanced at Beopjeong, who was crying like a kid at his big age. Even Soso didn’t cry this pathetically.

“What’s wrong with the baldie?”

“He fell and almost got caught by the zombies. I lost the group trying to save him.”

“Ugh. What a pain in the ass, that one. Let’s run, the wagon is moving and the zombies will come this way sooner than we might anticipate.”

Chung Myung placed the phone he borrowed from Dowi on top of a train and led the two toward the wagon, which was considerably picking up its speed as Iseol shook her arms to get their attention. Through the hissing and grunting sounds, which alerted the other zombies, the three ran until their lungs screamed at them to stop. Chung Myung opened some music to distract the zombies but it only worked for a few of them.

The train’s noise overshadowed the music and attracted so many of the monsters. Before they even knew it, zombies sprinted toward them in all directions. They came from the station, the railway, and the wagons; and shattered the glasses in several places trying to run and free themselves.

“Fuck! Why do they just keep multiplying?!”

“Haa! I’m gonna die, for real!”

Chung Myung’s anxious gaze kept looking back to see how Bo was doing. He was helping Beopjeong run, which made Chung Myung moan in anger. That baldie was trouble, and he would’ve gotten rid of him long ago if Soso wasn’t with them.

“They’re closing the distance! Run faster!”

It was easy for Chung Myung to outpace the zombies but not for Bo, who had one more luggage with him.

Chung Myung decided to step back and pull Bo away from that man, and at that time, he heard Bo’s painful grunt. His mind went blank when he saw him on the floor as Beopjeong sprinted forward instead of helping him up. Chung Myung jumped forward at a height he had never done before and sent the three side-by-side zombies flying into another dimension with his kick. That earned him enough time to pull Bo back and sprint once again.

“You old bastard! Why’d you do that?”

“What? What did he do?!”

“He made me trip and fall so he could run! That old, wrinkly, ugly gremlin!”

They watched as Beopjeong reached the wagon and tried to climb. Nobody helped him though, so he struggled until the duo and the zombies caught up.

The zombies piled up behind and trampled on each other to reach their prey. They were snowballing on the rails and putting their hands wherever they could find. Chung Myung hung onto the rails and kicked the zombies violently while Bo also did the same. Beopjeong was able to get free of a zombie’s hold and climb up, and he threw himself to a safer area while pushing the others out of the way rudely.

As the wagon reached its full speed and everyone kicked the zombies together, they could finally breathe in relief at being freed. No more zombies could reach them now, and they breathed heavily in the dead of night while Soso immediately hugged Bo and cried quietly.

Tang Bo, after calming her down, stared at Beopjeong with hatred. He felt Chung Myung’s presence right behind him and heard the man’s enraged voice directed at Beopjeong.

“You asshole. Why’d you do that?”

The baldie in the yellow tracksuit acted shameless as before, drinking the limited water they had like a wild animal.

“What did I do? He fell on his own!”

“We all saw that. Stop acting all innocent.”

Dowi also stared at the man with hatred, just like everyone else. They spent so much of their time reaching this stage and generously helped and fed the man for him to do that. Everyone had contributed to something but him until now. The baldie started sweating under the attention while Bo stepped forward to face him.

“I even stayed back to help you up. You know you would have already been dead if it weren’t for me. I even helped you run, you asshole.”

“So what? Did I ask you to do that?! Is it wrong to want to survive?!”

Bo scoffed like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and turned to the others with an enraged expression.

“How ridiculous. I even gave him my precious medicine to help him gain his strength and this is how he repays me.”

“Let’s throw him off.”

“Yeah. He can run the rest of the way.”

“And it’s still gracious of us since there are no zombies around anymore. Lucky bastard.”

Nobody wanted to stay or sleep in the same place as that selfish bastard. Chung Myung’s eyes followed whoever was speaking, yet his heart was filled with rage. He held Soso’s hand as the girl listened to the others worriedly.

He turned his gaze to Bo, who crossed his arms and listened to the conversation. He still had his back to Beopjeong, and Chung Myung’s eyes widened when he heard the familiar, low hissing. He looked at the others obliviously conversing and wondered if he was hearing voices out of nowhere.

“No…”

His neck snapped when he remembered what he saw while boarding the wagon. That fucking Beopjeong held his ankle when he sat down, so was he injured? Scratched by a zombie?

“Bo! Look out!”

Chung Myung was too late with his scream as Beopjeong rushed forward with light blue eyes and veins popping on his face, biting Bo’s neck like a bloodthirsty animal.

Bo swayed in shock, and Chung Myung rushed forward to hold Beopjeong’s neck to get him off of Bo. He smashed his head on the hard metal and the man’s body twisted horribly among his moans. He rushed forward to Chung Myung and screamed in pain when Chung Myung’s two fingers dove deep into his eyeballs, blinding his insane-looking eyes. He was thrown off the wagon by the same man, and the sounds of flesh smashing and bones crunching under the train echoed in the thick silence.

Bo lifted his hand to feel the fresh scar on his neck, which burnt and hurt like nothing he had ever experienced. Nobody knew how to react for a few seconds until Soso rushed forward, knowing perfectly well what that scar meant.

“Dad! Daddy! Drink your medicine! Please!”

Soso tried to persuade Bo to drink their special medicine, trying to deceive herself that it would help. That her dad wouldn’t turn into one of those monsters with blue eyes, attacking everyone on sight. Tang Bo’s breath hitched as he scanned everyone’s faces. So, this was it for him, huh?

“Everyone, please go inside the cabin and leave us three here for a moment.”

Everyone knew what three meant, and they all made their way inside with upset expressions, touching Bo one by one and bidding him goodbye. There wasn’t much time to spare, so Bo hastily crouched down in front of the sobbing Soso and cupped her face.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s alright. From now on, listen to Chung Myung, Soso. Daddy has to go, okay?”

Soso just continued sobbing and held onto the man weakly, yelling out words that her father could not bear to hear.

“No! Don’t go! Daddy, don’t leave me!”

Both Bo and Chung Myung felt heartbroken at the sight. Chung Myung’s mouth opened and closed several times, and he moved forward to hold Soso back. Bo stood up to face Chung Myung this time, offering him a broken smile. That sent Chung Myung into a ruthless inferno, as tears streamed down his blood-stained face. He bit his lips, trying to prevent a pathetic whimper from escaping, yet miserably failing once again. He didn’t even know why he was crying over a man he barely knew but somewhere in his heart, he could recognize those emerald eyes.

“Don’t go! We’ll find a solution! Don’t leave, Bo. Please, just…”

He spoke in a daze, not even hearing the words that came out of his mouth. Bo only smiled at that. He looked at Chung Myung for a few seconds, and his eyes had the same expression as before that Chung Myung tried so hard to solve but couldn’t. He leaned forward, smiled, and kissed Chung Myung on the lips, leaving him wide-eyed.

“I’m sorry. I don’t want to regret not doing this when I had the chance.”

He smiled brightly after that. It was a smile that reached his eyes, and Chung Myung selfishly hated the man for being so happy to leave.

Tang Bo’s hand reached for his pocket, and he held Chung Myung’s hand with the other, lightly caressing his palm and putting a small, green hairpin into his hand. He closed his palm and repeated the same motion with Soso to give her the bracelet that she worked hard to gift him. He placed a soft kiss on top of Soso’s head as the girl kept crying and clinging to him, and he forced her small hands out of his body.

“I beg you, Hyung, please take care of Soso for me. Now, take her inside. Please.”

Bo retreated to the back of the wagon, watching Chung Myung lifting the crying girl to forcefully take her inside. Soso fought against it for some time, but then gave up, staring into her father’s eyes for the last time. Quiet tears were streaming down Chung Myung’s face as he tried to meet Bo’s emerald eyes for one last time. The man was also staring at him, and his soft voice reached Chung Myung’s ears.

“Hyung.”

He saw the man hold on tightly to the railings, his eyes starting to turn blue.

“Hyung, I promised you I would find you. I kept my promise, so now you keep yours. Remember me, alright? And teach Soso how to fight.”

Chung Myung’s lips parted in surprise. Remember me? Just…What the hell was that supposed to mean?

“I promise I will find you two in my next life, too, no matter what happens and whichever form I end up in.”

Chung Myung just stared at the man with a dumbfounded expression. He wanted to speak but no words came out. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him even when he was being pulled into the cabin with so much force.

He just stood inside, his eyes full of disdain and despair. His hand reached for Soso’s head and he gently caressed her hair as she sobbed her heart out. It hadn’t even been a full day since he met the family of two, yet the connection he felt was way too real. Maybe he met them in his previous life, too, he thought. He remembered the emerald eyes, then. Why were they so familiar, like a dear memory he had to let go?

Tang Bo jumped from the fast wagon and landed on the grass, hitting his head in the process and rolling on the green that he adored until his back hit the straight ground. He looked up at the dark sky, watching the stars with a small smile. That smile turned into frustration, and he let out all the pent-up emotions with a scream as heart-wrenching sobs followed. Warm, fat tears were rolling down his face, and his mind only wanted to focus on the two people he had to leave behind. He continued crying, and his eyes turned to a light blue colour that was all too familiar now. Unbeknownst to him, his eyes turned blue, and then green again.

✿✿✿

part 2: anagnorisis

Chung Myung was sitting in a corner of the small cabin, while Soso’s exhausted body leaned against his. The two did not talk at all; nobody did, after what happened. Soso now had no family that she knew of, and Chung Myung lost a person who would fit into his life like a puzzle piece after years of searching, with loneliness surrounding him.

He opened his palm to look at the small hairpin the man gifted him in their last moment. It was beautiful, and it reminded Chung Myung of the man’s big, emerald eyes. It also reminded him of a very distant memory from his childhood that he did not know existed until now. It felt like his brain suddenly unlocked a memory, and all Chung Myung could see in his mind was a seven-year-old little boy with the same emerald eyes sticking to him like a leech all summer long.

“Hyung, don’t say you have no family! You have me, me!”

“You will leave me one day, too! Get off my back, you damn broccoli!”

“I will not! Never! I promise I will find you even if it costs me my life!”

He remembered the boy visiting and feeding him every day, saving him from rotting away in some isolated corner nobody cared to look at. He remembered the boy calling him Hyung, and gifting him toys wrapped in green packaging with small plum blossoms embroidered on them. He asked why one day. Why the plum blossoms? And the boy answered: “It’s because they remind me of your eyes, Hyung”.

He used to call the boy Bobo, it was a silly nickname, yet the boy adored it the moment he heard it. They spent the whole summer together, and for the first time in his life, Chung Myung didn’t feel alone or sleep on an empty stomach. For the first time in his life, Chung Myung felt loved and cared for. He could play like a child, not having to beg on the streets or run away from the bad men. It was because Bobo always fed him well and kept him sheltered, hiding him from the tall, scary men who beat up Chung Myung for slacking off.

They sometimes went to Bo’s aunt’s house, and nobody cared as long as Chung Myung didn’t wander around without Bo, and the owners of the house were rarely there to begin with, anyway. A few disapproving looks from the bodyguards were enough to scare Chung Myung away most of the time, causing him to find excuses and leave the house right away.

They ate, played, and slept together. They fought the stupid kids in the area who tried to pick on Chung Myung and got themselves scarred, but it never hurt. As long as they had each other, nothing hurt.

That was only until Bo left, though. It was a day Chung Myung tried hard to forget, eventually erasing every trace of it from his mind, along with the happy memories. He still remembered Bo pushing him to the ground, his face enraged and disgusted, his eyes filled with fury and heartbreak.

“Why are you doing this, Bo?!”

Chung Myung had asked in confusion. His knees were in pain from the impact of the fall, but he did not care. His head was injured upon the impact, and blood was gushing from the injury at a threateningly fast pace, yet he still did not care.

“You know why! Don’t play dumb with me! Filthy street rat! I should’ve never helped you!”

His words broke Chung Myung’s heart, but he did not have any pride left in him to fight back. He had no idea why this was happening, but he did not want to lose his one and only friend.

“Don’t go! Don’t leave me alone! Bo!”

Sobs escaped from his lips as he fell on the floor once again, screaming at the running Bo to turn back. His vision was blurry when he started running under the rain to reach Bo, only to end up as the victim of a car crash. The man fled from the scene and he lay there until a man found him, took him to a hospital, and took him under his wings.

That was Grandpa Hyun Young, who adopted him and raised him, treating him like they were connected by blood. He taught him everything he knew about martial arts after moving to Busan, celebrated countless victories with him, and taught him how to write, and how to love. How to forgive. He raised Chung Myung to be the leader of Hwasan, leaving his hopes and legacy with him. He died a few days after that as if he had been waiting for his grandson to finally stand on top.

Chung Myung erased Bo from his mind after those events. As per the doctors, he had a concussion that could lead to serious consequences and temporary or permanent memory loss was among them. He only remembered his name being Cho Sam, but he left that identity behind, too. He opened a fresh page, left the streets for good, and constantly improved himself in any aspect he could think of. He would sometimes dream about a boy with emerald eyes, not recalling who he was, yet feeling a strong sense of longing deep in his mind.

Looking at the small hairpin that the boy wore almost every day back then, memories flooded into his mind, and his head felt like it was about to burst open.

A gasp left his mouth at the realisation, and his whole body shivered.

“Oh. Oh. It was you. It was you all along.”

Chung Myung whispered, realising a bit too late he finally found who he had unconsciously been searching for all his life. His hands trembled, and he could not leave his position until they arrived at Busan a little over two hours. Iseol and Baek Cheon came to check up on him and Soso, yet received no answers. Chung Myung could barely hear the whispers echoing in the small room.

“…I don’t get it. Why is he so upset when he barely even knows him?”

“People can connect at first sight. Don’t question it too much.”

“I’m just worried. I’ve never seen him look so…broken.”

It was understandable for them to be worried about Chung Myung’s current state. They were the closest people to him, yet they still couldn’t claim they had him all figured out. They knew nothing about his past, and couldn’t guess in a million years that Bo was a person so dear to Chung Myung.

Anxious and worried gazes kept glancing at the two, and the ride continued for some more time. Hyun Sang saw the numerous barricades before the train, and gasped loudly, alerting everyone. He stopped the wagon soon after and got up from his seat slowly.

“What is it?”

“Are there zombies?”

“What happened?”

Hyun Sang gave them a small, relaxed smile and spoke hurriedly.

“It’s not that. This is…where the road ends. We’ve arrived at Busan.”

Baek Cheon moved forward to scan what lay ahead and saw the dark tunnel awaiting them.

“I think those barricades were placed by the military. We…finally made it.”

Soft gasps rose from all around, and Chung Myung also got to his feet, guiding Soso with him. He placed the hairpin onto his hair, and Soso wore the bracelet with pride.

They all made their way outside after that with no signs of zombies. Baek Cheon and Iseol led the group and slowly passed through the dark tunnel.

The two military personnel, guarding the place a bit far from where the tunnel ends, noticed the movements inside and alerted the higher-ups through the radio.

“Sir, there are sloppy movements inside the tunnel. What should we do? Over.”

A bit later, the command was delivered.

“They must be one of those creatures. Kill them. Over.”

The guy sighed, pointing his rifle in that direction and aiming for their heads. At the same time as he was scanning the people, a song reached his ears. It came from what he guesses to be a child, it was a broken voice, obviously filled with sniffles and cries.

“Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs…As it glided through the trees…Still following ever the bud…The ‘ahihi lehua of the vale.”

The singing continued, and the soldier rushed the others to welcome and aid the survivors. Soso’s broken voice saved their lives, and the group finally made it to the shelter. They were thoroughly inspected for signs of infection, and their names were written in the records. Another man drove them away from the tunnel to inside a huge hall and they were surprised to see so many people together, not attacking each other or going crazy.

They were given some beds to sleep and rest, and a lot of people were present in the hall. They heard from another survivor that there were so many deaths in Busan, too, and that this hall might be the safest place in the entire city.

Chung Myung checked everyone in the hall and that seemed to be true. There were well-dressed people in elegant outfits, or more casual clothes. The majority in the hall seemed to be well-off, which didn’t surprise Chung Myung at all. The rich were always guided to the safest places before anyone else, and he could tell almost no one else experienced the same hell as they did.

“Hey, I got these from the officials. Let’s eat some and rest.”

Everyone was delighted to see some newly cooked, steaming rice, and munched on their food without speaking. Chung Myung helped Soso eat and sleep. The girl never left his side or said a thing, and Chung Myung tried to initiate conversations now and then.

They slept the night away, occasionally waking up unintentionally to see whether they were being attacked, and drifting back to sleep shortly after. When the sun rose, the others woke up feeling refreshed, grateful to be alive and fed. Chung Myung sat by his bed and watched Soso sleep peacefully. That girl was under his protection now, and he would make sure to continue Tang Bo’s legacy and request.

“Good morning.”

He turned his head to see Iseol and Baek Cheon sitting across him with warm smiles. Chung Myung was so focused on the Tang family that he didn’t even have time to chat with his best friends, although they were understanding of the situation.

“I’m sorry about what happened.”

“Yeah. He didn’t deserve that.”

“I should’ve strangled that baldie the moment I saw him.”

They laughed at Chung Myung’s response, and Iseol gently caressed the hairpin Chung Myung wore.

“It’s beautiful.”

“It is. Looks a bit old but still.”

Chung Myung gave them a bitter smile and pouted.

“Did you know that Tang Bo and I were childhood friends?”

“What the hell? No, of course, we didn’t!”

Chung Myung chuckled at the response and caressed the hairpin himself, this time.

“I didn’t, either. I only remembered after he gave me this. I remember gifting it to him, you know.”

“That’s so fucking upsetting, I might cry.”

“Me too. I hate fate and I hate destiny.”

Iseol and Baek Cheon’s words were exactly how Chung Myung felt inside. Why couldn’t he just be happy, damn it?

“I know. I just want to cry and scream. That Bo, did he have to act like a hero at the last minute? Ugh. I will beat him up when I descend to hell.”

The two across from him snickered at his words until they heard a small voice agreeing with them.

“Me too, Mister. Let’s beat him together.”

Soso was finally awake, rubbing her eyes since they hurt from how much she cried.

“You won’t be down there with us, though. You’ll be up high, Little Soso.”

“Boring. I want to be with you and Dad, Mister.”

They all smiled and patted Soso’s head. She probably still hadn’t fully grasped the fact that her dad was gone, but Chung Myung was still surprised that she could stay strong like this.

“She’s a real one.”

“Quite loyal.”

“Of course! Soso and I are a team now. Beware of us.”

He high-fived Soso and promised the girl to tell her about Bo as a child, and Dowi also joined the conversation. During their breakfast, two familiar figures interrupted them with unbelieving eyes.

“Mas-Masters? Oh, my god.”

The trio’s eyes lit up in hope when they saw the two familiar high schoolers, Jo Geol and Yoon Jong. They all rose to their feet in excitement at seeing familiar faces.

“Little chicks! You’re alright!”

The reunion was filled with another round of tears as the teenagers spoke about their journey until they reached the shelter. They were together at the school when the chaos emerged, and most other people they knew were victims of zombies. At least they and a few others could escape, and the trio were grateful for that. Jo Geol’s parents were in the shelter too, so they had some people to take care of them. They continued chatting and resting all day.

Their days progressed similarly; they ate, walked, talked to others, received pitiful glances for their stained clothes, and thought about what to do next.

On the third day, a man in his fifties approached them with uneasy eyes. He kept staring at Soso, and the hairpin on Chung Myung’s head.

“What is it, old man? I’m sick and tired of old geezers like you, so speak up.”

“Uh…No, I just…”

The man sighed upon receiving the impatient gaze Chung Myung sent his way, and straightened his back to talk properly this time.

“Let me introduce myself. My name is Tang Gunak, and that hairpin tells me you know my son. Am I correct?”

The demanding tone in the man’s voice irritated Chung Myung, and he held Soso closer to him while he sent hostile looks his way.

“It doesn’t matter even if you are. Bo has no connections to a family who abandoned him.”

Tang Gunak averted his eyes in shame, and his eyes were filled with regret to the brim.

“I…I know. I wanted to apologise to him. And meet my granddaughter. I had no courage to approach you these past three days. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He tilted his head in Soso’s direction and crouched down to be at eye level with the girl. Soso looked at Chung Myung, and he nodded at her to signal it was okay, and Soso said hi to the stranger.

Tang Gunak felt his heart burn with regret. Why was he so stubborn? Why did he reject his son five years ago? He should’ve helped him raise his daughter, yet he didn’t. He failed his son, and he was suffering for it.

“May I ask where Bo is?”

Tang Gunak’s expectant eyes only met averted gazes filled with sadness.

“Daddy’s gone.”

All eyes turned to Soso, who spoke courageously despite her trembling lips.

“…Gone?”

“He’s gone. He will never come back.”

Soso sniffled and buried her head into Chung Myung’s clothes, her energy draining and her knees feeling weak.

Tang Gunak stared at the crying girl for a few moments. His mouth opened and closed, and his body seemed stiff like a rock. His eyes met Chung Myung’s, and he had to accept the fact he had been avoiding.

Chung Myung watched in silence as the man collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down his face. Regret was a shameful feeling when its sole reason was stubbornness.

They didn’t see Tang Gunak the whole day after that, and at night, he came with a few more people to officially meet Soso. There was Tang Pae, the middle brother, and Tang Zhan, the youngest. Bo stood on top, at least before his death. It was overwhelming even for Chung Myung to meet so many members of the Tang Family. How were they all alive and well when most people had to be separated from their families? That he did not understand.

The real problem was when they wanted to take Soso away. They were convincing enough at first, making Chung Myung believe she would be much better and safer with the Tangs. Yet, the moment his eyes met Soso’s begging ones, he knew exactly what to do.

“Bo entrusted Soso with me. Sorry, but I don’t intend to let her go unless she wants it herself.”

All eyes turned to Soso and she knew what to do.

“Never! I will stay with Mister! Daddy wanted that!”

Uneasy glances were shared among the family members. Some suggested taking her by force, yet were stopped by Tang Gunak.

“Enough! We have no right to demand custody of her. This world has changed. There are new rules now.”

“That’s right. Don’t you dare try something to take her away! I’ll take care of Soso like she’s my own child, so scurry away.”

Although his rudeness earned him some grumbles, he was scary enough, holding a bat covered in wire and spikes. Nobody knew where he even got those, but questioning it also felt hopeless.

“Can you stop swinging that? Are you a movie villain? Huh? Are you Harley Quinn?”

“And what if I am? Guys like you who question everything die first, you know.”

“Chung Myung-ah, stop threatening people. I think they’ve got the memo.”

“Like hell they did!”

Chung Myung swung his index finger before Tang Gunak’s face and threw some curses at him while everyone close by watched in shock.

“Alright, alright, I get it!”

Tang Gunak took a few steps back and looked at Soso once more.

“You know this hall won’t house everyone forever. What will you do, then?”

The group exchanged glances with blank looks. They never thought that far, but the man was right. Now, what? Chung Myung decided to calm down his spikes for a bit and talked like a civilised man.

“We never thought that far. We’ll probably travel and find ourselves some protection.”

“That will be hard. No one can protect you but yourself. And, well, us.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Tang Gunak approached Chung Myung and whispered in his ear, making sure no one else could hear it.

“The Tang family has a secret hideout under our mansion. The area is in a secluded place too, covered by a forest. We will leave in a few hours, and your group is welcome to stay with us.”

Chung Myung’s eyes squinted at that. A secret hideout? Really? Was this man some Chaebol or something?

“That’s suspicious.”

“Uh…We’re quite rich, so…”

“Not that. Why didn’t you hide there in the first place instead of coming here?”

“Oh, I see your concern. We were invited to a brunch, as you might guess from the outfits. We only came here because it was the closest place for us, not the safest. We were going to leave but our plan changed when you guys walked in with a Tang family member.”

Chung Myung stared at the man, contemplating his options.

“We’ll discuss it among ourselves and answer.”

“I’ll send Pae over in half an hour.”

With that, the group discussed the options, and everyone immediately accepted the offer to Chung Myung’s surprise.

“Eh? Don’t you think it’s a shady situation?”

“Not at all. I heard about the Tang family before. They aren’t well-known among us commoners but they have so much power behind closed doors.”

“Dowi’s right. We might get kicked out of here soon, too. I don’t like the looks the military guys are giving us every time we eat.”

“Yeah. I heard the government fell, so who’s gonna lead the military? They might riot.”

“From the movies I’ve watched, they are sure to rule over us and work us to death.”

Chung Myung’s mouth fell open at the creative remarks coming from everyone. Bo also talked about sticking with the powerful, so did all these people watch the same movies?

After half an hour passed and when Pae came for their answer, they acted like they didn’t care and agreed like they were at gunpoint. They decided it was better to sell themselves slowly.

Leaving the hall was surprisingly easy. The soldiers let them go on the condition that they wouldn’t be accepted back since the hall was full as it was, and they were able to get themselves two cars through a bit of bribing. Although the world almost came to an end, bribing still worked. Chung Myung had no idea what they’d even do with the money but decided not to think too much about it. Maybe it was also because the Tang family was of importance, and their words still mattered to some extent among the military. He wasn’t sure where that connection came from either but he wouldn’t question it as long as he benefited from it.

There was no internet connection anymore and the electricity was barely holding on. Numerous fires broke out in different parts of the city, damaging a significant amount of material, houses, and such. Because the hall was kind of outside the city’s busiest streets and was located at the entrance of a forest, they were able to drive through without much trouble, although the road took them almost an hour.

They saw Busan from on top of the high ground, and the view made them realise the hard truth wholly. The city was in shambles, to say the least.

When they finally reached the gates of the Tang property, loud gasps echoed in the car at the sight. Huge walls surrounded the estate, there were spikes on them that were most likely electrified, and to everyone’s surprise, there were a few houses other than the obvious manor in the centre.

“What the…Were you prepared for an apocalypse all this time?”

Chung Myung asked Tang Gunak as he eyed the bizarre town-like place once they got out of the cars.

“It’s not that. The Tang family…Well, we have a history of being involved with some special medicine and providing them to important figures of the world. It’s hard to explain this way, I will have to show you.”

They were indeed prepared for it, but Tang Gunak had no reason to reveal that information to strangers. At least not yet.

They walked behind Tang Gunak and the other family members while glancing at a few more people who came out of the houses to greet them. They mostly looked like family members, and some of them seemed to be bodyguards or servants.

“These people are so shady. Who has a whole town surrounded by walls waiting for them?”

“Electrified spikes too. Those might have been established just a few hours ago, though.”

“I don’t give a fuck about all these, to be frank. Can we just sleep? It's close to midnight now.”

Chung Myung listened as the others conversed while he led the group with Soso. Lots of glares came Soso’s way and not all of them were good-intentioned, he could tell. They were led inside the manor, apparently Tang Gunak stayed there with his close family. There were a lot of rooms to spare, so the group got a full wing to themselves on the first floor. They didn’t care if those rooms would usually belong to the stay-in housemaids or whatever; in fact, they preferred it this way since they’d be isolated from the Tangs and had a chance to escape through the back.

The Tang family was nice enough to them but they were still cautious too, it seemed. After all, they only offered to help them because Soso was persistent on staying with Chung Myung, and they wanted to get closer to the girl but weren’t slick with it like they believed.

“I’m glad we got two separate rooms. I guess Soso and Iseol can stay in this one and we’ll stay in that one.”

Baek Cheon pointed at the side-by-side rooms that they thoroughly inspected and happily accepted. The rooms gave them some privacy but they could reach each other easily if anything occurred. They had to be on guard at all times in this new world.

“But I want to stay with Mister!”

“I know, but it’s better if you stay with Iseol noona.”

No matter how hard they tried convincing Soso, from the moment the girl spoke, they knew they were trying for the impossible. Soso was only with them because she trusted Chung Myung with her life. After all, she knew she could trust anyone her father trusted. That’s why, although she was fine with Iseol and Baek Cheon, they were still far away from her heart.

And so, sharing the rooms accordingly, they slept the night and woke up to a peaceful quiet outside, for the first time in what felt like an eternity. They ate way too much of the delicious breakfast prepared by the hosts, and all the parties finally sat down to speak of the future.

“Chung Myung. You and your friends might not know it, but there’s no such thing as a government now.”

The group exchanged uncomfortable glances, which was now a tradition among them with all the bizarre incidents they’d been experiencing.

“We already know. Rumours travel fast, you know.”

Tang Gunak nodded and hummed at that. The government falling during an apocalypse was pretty guessable, huh?

“Then you must also know there’s no authority now. Do you know what happens when there’s no absolute authority?”

“The military is dissipated, riots break out, people fight for food, hell breaks out.”

All eyes turned to Dowi, whose eyes were on the ground as he spoke before Chung Myung could. His words held truth, and that scared everyone more than facing the actual zombies. If you couldn’t fight a zombie, you’d die or become one. But what happens to the survivors?

“Exactly. My guess is, not a lot of people can dare to go outside and empty the stores. They’d either die trying or give up the moment a zombie sprints to them.”

“So, you want to loot the stores?”

“I do. You have to be shameless about this stuff. And I want your help. I observed you before approaching you at the hall and heard the other man who was with you talk about how you four can fight well. Is that true?”

Chung Myung paused for a brief moment before answering. Did this crazy man want to use them as a shield or something?

“Look, old geezer. We’re thankful you offered us your house, but we’re not risking our lives while you sit back here.”

“No way in hell.”

“Let’s just leave and find our dojo instead.”

Both Iseol and Baek Cheon confirmed Chung Myung’s words, not wanting to be used as bait. Tang Gunak sighed deeply and sat down, signing for the others who got too excited for a moment to do the same.

“Who said we’d stay back? Pae and a few others from our family will escort you. However, since we provide the housing, the cooking, and everything else, I expect you to lead the group and risk your life when necessary.”

As much as Chung Myung wanted to be a hater of this man and the family, he was right. The Tang estate was incredible luck for them, and the least they could do was provide materials. A changing world requires changing methods, after all. If they’re going to spend their lives stealing to survive, they might as well do it for a win-win deal.

“I’ll only risk my and my family’s life if the others deserve it, though. I’m not dying for some stupid man who has no benefits to me, or for one who decided to act on his own.”

“We have a deal, then. I also want Soso to be comfortable around here, so please don’t hide her from us.”

“I’m not doing that. She stays back because she’s traumatised and she doesn’t like how you people ignored her until now. She’s quite smart for a kid her age, you know.”

The members of the Tang family fell into an uncomfortable silence, and uneasy glances were shared. Pae decided to ask the question that’d been on his mind since the awkward topic was already on the table.

“Who are you to my brother, exactly?”

Chung Myung stared at the man for some time before answering quietly.

“I am his childhood friend, to be exact.”

“Huh? He barely had any friends, and I knew all of them.”

“You know me, too. You just chose to ignore me.”

Pae’s eyebrows furrowed from the way he forced his mind to remember the man, and his eyes widened when he was hit with the realisation.

“You…Don’t tell me…”

“Pae? Who is he?”

Pae looked at Lord Gunak’s curious eyes and gulped in shame. He had never personally met Chung Myung but he knew what he meant to his big brother.

“Um…Father, do you remember the reason why Hyung beat up those three who always tailed him in high school?”

“Huh? Wasn’t it over a boy he couldn’t forget? His bisexual awakening or whatever you kids call it these days. I just remember- Huh? Wait a minute.”

Chung Myung’s eyes trembled and he felt blood rush to his cheeks. Bisexual awakening? Seriously? How come even his father knew about that?

“Ahem! Yes, Dad, exactly that.”

“Oh. I see. Fate is a weird phenomenon, huh?”

“Indeed. I figured out the pink eyes and the attitude, you know. The hairpin, too.”

“Yeah. It does make sense. He never talked to me about that stuff as a child but now I see.”

Iseol’s hand found Chung Myung’s shoulder as they all listened to Tang family members ramble. Those were memories Chung Myung had forgotten about until recently, which caused both Iseol and Baek Cheon to be shocked too.

“Can you seriously stop talking about that? Why do all the Tangs have to annoy me so damn much? Ugh, I won’t let Soso get rotten in your hands!”

Thus, through Chung Myung and Bo’s bizarre connection, the two groups felt more at ease around each other. Lord Gunak and Pae asked Chung Myung about Bo’s final memories, and Chung Myung gladly told them with a bittersweet smile. He was also asked about his childhood memories, but his mind was still hazy on that part. He remembered them only partially, yet the only full memory in his mind was the boy walking away from him.

After a few hours of introducing everyone to the group and getting to know the estate, Lord Gunak led them to a basement that was guarded by two. No one expected to see the contents in it after going through a few secret doors, but everyone was equally surprised.

“Seriously? You guys actually run a gang?”

“Huh? No, we don’t. We’re just ready for any situation and surprise attacks.”

“So you’re saying you guys are a fancier version of a gang.”

The Tangs couldn’t find the words to oppose the man. They had made even themselves believe that they were running an innocent business, but the truth was far from it.

“I can't believe you have so many guns and ammo when even cops aren’t allowed to carry guns.”

An astounded Baek Cheon looked around with his mouth agape, just like Iseol. She usually had a nonchalant expression so seeing her in such a situation was bizarre for everyone. Dowi also kept touching everything in sight and got scolded by Pae.

“I’m guessing you guys don’t know how to shoot guns?”

“Duh. We’re not thugs.”

Pae smirked with the satisfaction that he was one step ahead of the newcomers in something.

“Good thing we’ve got soundproof rooms here.”

Well, the Tang family had many more surprises up their sleeves, which the newcomers would learn after a while. They had literal tunnels under the house to create an escape route and even safe rooms. Were they dealing with the mafia or something? Maybe.

A few weeks passed by while the group started to get comfortable and settled down in the Tang estate. They all got along better now, and after witnessing the miserable state of the city, they were all grateful to be living in comfort. Their rooms were moved too so they could get some privacy in the estate, which was a luxury these days.

They went on raids and stocked up on everything they could find. There were a few tough survivors who caused them trouble from time to time, but pointing a gun at their heads always shut them up. Since guns weren’t permitted in South Korea before all this, it was hard to find one for others.

Chung Myung helped Soso deal with her trauma and form a bond with her family, just like with Iseol and Baek Cheon. The girl had nightmares, and it took some time for her to open up to others and converse with them. She almost always clung to Chung Myung for comfort. He started teaching him how to fight after some time, and that seemed to help Soso let off some steam.

They also visited the dojo in hopes of finding some of their disciples, yet could only find little kids with blue eyes who hissed at them. Even Chung Myung threw up at the sight, and the group didn’t have it in them to kill the poor kids and end their pain. They had the Tang members’ help with that, and the way back home was silent and grim.

As everyone spent more and more time together and bonded better, a warm but weird atmosphere was felt in the estate. Sometimes, Chung Myung felt like they were just playing house. The happiness and the laughter only lasted until a zombie showed up and got its head smashed.

Chung Myung sighed when he felt the strong liquor burning his throat and flowing down, leaving a warm sensation behind. The breeze gently caressed his bangs and his shirt fluttered. Another meaningless night embraced Chung Myung in darkness and silence. The truth was, he was exhausted. He missed his childhood friend and kept thinking about the memories they could’ve made together. Maybe he was stuck in the past, but was it too bad to demand an explanation from him so that he could move on?

Two months and a week later, they went on another raid. The event proceeded as usual. Chung Myung led Pae and a baldie called Hye Yeon while Baek Cheon led Iseol, Zhan, and a bodyguard named Hyun-suk. They were quite harsh toward Hye Yeon when they first found him munching on some food inside a supermarket because of their previous experience with another baldie, but this one was different. Hye Yeon was a shy and kind soul yet he didn’t back away from a fight. He helped the group escape from some zombies and earned himself a spot in the Tang territory with his fighting skills. They were strict about accepting people into the group, yet he was the first exception to that.

“I think these are enough for now.”

“Yeah. We should find the others and move before a zombie notices us.”

“Pae, take Hye Yeon to the others. I need to take care of something.”

“Alright, be careful. We’ll wait for you at the usual spot.”

Chung Myung nodded and parted ways with them for a short time. Because there had been too many zombies around where he previously lived, he couldn’t enter his apartment to take whatever was important to him. He took a chance and quietly moved forward, slowly opening the door to find the entrance empty. Seeing his neighbours strolling around in rotten flesh as he moved up the stairs was an experience he despised, and he tried so hard to avoid them instead of killing them.

When he stood before his apartment, he slowly opened the door and walked inside. He didn’t know why he was afraid, it wasn’t like anyone could pop up from somewhere. He sighed, sitting on the couch that he missed so dearly. He paid so much to get that, especially for the days he’d come home drunk and collapse on the closest surface.

He walked around slowly, accidentally dropping a vase that held dead daisies and alerting some zombies next door in the process.

“Huh? Don’t the old couple live next door?”

Even they were turned, huh? Those two were a talkative couple, but they helped Chung Myung so much when he had no meals to eat. They’d gossip about his life right to his face, yet they were so kind whenever he couldn’t pay rent on time.

The noises calmed down after a while, and he moved toward his bedroom with a sigh. He guessed he should hurry up, so he got himself some bags and put some clothes in there. Canned food, snacks, knives, pills, and medicine; he tried to take anything helpful.

He was about to leave when his eyes lingered on the bottom drawer that he rarely opened. His hands trembled when he remembered what was in there, and how he didn’t know all those years whose gift that was.

In the drawer, somewhere in the back, was an elegant little necklace with a pink plum blossom symbol in the middle. That necklace was around his neck when Hyun Young first found him, and it was the reason why he decided to associate Hwasan with plum blossoms in the future. Because Hwasan was Chung Myung, and Chung Myung was Hwasan.

He caressed the necklace lightly and placed it on his neck. It had been years since he last wore it, so he felt a weird sensation looking at its place. He checked everything else and left the building, leisurely walking around with a lot on his mind. He needed to stop doing that though, since the consequences always blew up in his face. This time, too, he got noticed by some zombies, and their hisses and yells alerted many more.

It was a cat-and-mouse situation, and Chung Myung finally understood how Jerry must have felt all those years. He ran, they chased him, he fell, got right back up, and many more kept chasing him. A zombie without a lower half was struggling on the floor and he tripped on its rotten arm and fell.

“Ah! You fuckers! Damn you!”

The spiked bat he prepared with love was always with him, so he swung it in whatever direction he could find and smashed some dumb zombie brains. He usually aimed for the head to either kill them or blind them, which caused them to lose their senses and sprint aimlessly to each sound they picked up.

However, as time passed, more and more surged toward him, and there was no higher ground for him to climb to. He tripped again when a zombie tackled him, and although he crushed its head with nails and spikes once again, he realised there was nowhere to run when he saw the zombies surging from the opposite direction.

“Ah! Ah, shit. How does one save himself from this?!”

Chung Myung fell to his knees, and then his body fully collapsed. He lay on the floor, waiting for death to knock on his door. He was exhausted from pretending to be okay. The only reason he hadn’t given up until now was to protect Soso, Iseol, and Baek Cheon. His family was all that mattered to him, and while the other two could do without him, Soso couldn’t. He despised the fact that he would be leaving Soso just like her father, but he had no more fight left in him

He didn’t want to admit it, but he was going insane. He barely slept, and whenever he did, he kept hearing Bo’s voice in his head. He cried to his friends about feeling the man’s presence, and they looked at him like he was crazy. They thought Chung Myung was pathetic, and they were right at that.

He stared at the sky as the zombies’ gruesome voices reached his ears. He turned his head to the right to see the disgusting creatures sprinting toward him. He could smell their stinky mouths from miles away, just like their two-month-old clothes which were covered in blood, dirt, and sweat.

“Ugh, disgusting. Hideous zombies. Stinky, stinky.”

He lifted his hand to the sky, staring at his spiked bat, dirtied with zombie blood and flesh once again. He saw the small messages he and Soso wrote on the bat a while back and smiled. With a green mark was written the name ‘Bo’. It was the mighty bat’s name now. Soso drew a small smiley face and wrote some words she newly learned before Chung Myung nailed the spikes on it.

“Is this how I go? Pathetic.”

He closed his eyes and sighed, removing his gun from its place and placing it right into his mouth. He had to get this right in one go. He’d rather die fast than wait around to be eaten.

‘I’m sorry, Soso. I failed you.’

He felt several of the zombies’ hands on him and put his finger in the proper place to pull the trigger.

Bang.

The loud noise of the gun echoed in the sky, and birds flew at the sudden scare. Chung Myung opened his eyes, confused and curious to see who the fuck pulled the gun out of his mouth at the last second and made him fire at the sky. No, more than that, why were the zombies getting away from him and cowering in fear?

He checked the hand that was on his, and slowly turned his head as he felt the familiar scent hit his nostrils. No. He faced the man’s neck, his eyes saw the green colour of a familiar coat, and he gulped anxiously as he lifted his head to meet the man’s gaze. Emerald. Their faces were only millimetres away from each other’s, their lips barely brushing and their scents intertwining.

The man had furrowed eyebrows as he inspected Chung Myung’s face, and his eyes held a strange expression in them. Chung Myung’s eyes widened and teared up, and he pulled himself back with a gasp. His hand covered his mouth and his back almost hit the ground again from the shock, only being saved by the man’s weirdly fast reflexes.

“…Bo?”

The man’s furrowed eyebrows returned to normal, and he bit his lower lip as he put his hand on Chung Myung’s cheek.

“Hyung. What the hell are you doing?”

He kept waiting for an answer as his hyung glared at him like he was some kind of a ghost. Well, he was supposed to be one, he guessed.

✿✿✿

The past two months were hell for Tang Bo. That was the only way he could describe it. It wasn’t because he had been living a shitty life, no; his days were quite interesting and fun. The problem was that he couldn’t truly enjoy anything without picturing the two figures in his mind. Not that he complained, his day brightened each time he remembered the two faces smiling. He wanted Soso and Chung Myung to be by his side more than anything, but he couldn’t reach them just yet, and that was what bothered him to the core.

It all started when he fell right on his face from the wagon miserably and lay on the grass, weeping and waiting to welcome his fate. He only realised his fate was reluctant in its journey after five more minutes of weeping.

Why the hell wasn’t he transforming? All the damned zombies spent a maximum of a few minutes before transforming, so why wasn’t he, after more than ten minutes in total had passed? He wiped off his tears, rising from the cold ground and staring at the sky.

“Augh! So frustrating!  If you’re gonna kill me, just do it, you damned gods!”

He wasn’t expecting an answer, but frustration was still visible on his face when all he heard in return were the cricket sounds. He waited a few more seconds on the ground and then got up to take a stroll and stomp like a five-year-old. He waited, yet nothing happened.

After about half an hour of stomping and hating the world for separating him from his daughter, and his childhood crush turned into adulthood love, he grabbed his hair and screamed like a madman, causing the birds to fly away from the tree branches they were resting on. It was the dead of night and his vision was limited, so he was bored to death already.

He sighed and thought about what to do next. He had yet to understand why this was happening, but he couldn’t just wait in the same spot any longer. He passed through the tall trees and decided to go wherever the forest led him.

While strolling, the bite on his neck popped up in his mind and he hurriedly placed his hand on it, only to find the space empty. His hand moved around to find the scar, which should’ve been easy since that fucking Beopjeong took a piece of his flesh through the bite, yet his skin felt as smooth as a baby’s. He even checked the other side of his neck and shoulder to no avail. Was he tripping? Did he have hallucinations? Had he never experienced any of those?

He shook his head, realising he was overthinking. No, everything he experienced in the last twenty-four hours or so was real, even if he could not come up with an explanation for the missing scar. Feeling tired, he lay down against a tree to sleep and wait for his death. He quickly fell unconscious as he lay on the cold ground once again.

He woke up with a weird sensation in his stomach. It was still dark, so he guessed he only slept for a few hours. But why was his stomach hurting so much?

“Oh. Oh, fuck. Damn.”

His eyes widened as he heard himself unintentionally hiss like those zombies. So what, did he transform in his sleep? If so, why was he able to think like a human and not run toward the weird noises he heard?

The immense pain twisted his insides, making him bend and sweat profoundly. He grunted, tightly shutting his eyes, wishing for it to all go away. At that time, his ears picked up a noise and his nose was filled with such a tempting and delicious smell. He growled like a wild animal, his body sprinting toward the smell before his brain could even allow it.

After running for a few minutes, he came across the source of the smell. A deer. He couldn’t believe an animal could smell so tempting.

“W-What’s wrong with me?”

His whisper alerted the deer, which looked at him like he terrified it, and he took off with all its might. Again, unintentionally, Bo chased after the animal before he even realised what he was doing. His mind went blank, and all he could think about was the tempting smell. He instinctively knew his stomach pain would disappear the moment he took a bite of the deer.

The chase didn’t last for long. Bo’s speed matched the deer’s, which shook him to the core because how the hell? The rest of the hunt was a blur in Bo’s mind. He didn’t remember biting the deer’s neck, taking half of its flesh like a wild bear and forcing the poor animal to lose all light in its eyes in seconds. He also didn’t remember tearing it apart with his bare hands, munching on the raw meat as his saliva drooped.

When he finally gained his radical thinking skills back, he licked his lips and stared at the sight before him in shock. He didn’t even feel it in him to be disgusted; honestly, the meat felt tastier and sweeter than any dessert he had tasted. Still, he had a hard time grasping how he could be so vile as he checked his red-coloured hands. They almost looked like someone dropped paint on them, and the paint flowed down to his elbows, staining the sleeves of his white shirt.

“What the fuck? Honestly, what the fuck?”

He stared at the sky once more, internally cursing the gods. Why did they hate him so much? His head snapped as he heard footsteps approaching him, and he slowly got up to face whatever was coming his way. He was tired of running away endlessly, like a coward.

“Who the hell are you?”

He glared at the pale man who looked like he ran away straight from the ER section of a hospital. The man held his treasured green coat in his hands, which Bo took off a few hours ago to use as a pillow.

“Someone you’ll be pleased to meet, hahahaha-ahem! Cough, cough!”

Bo squinted when he saw the sickly man bend in half as he went into a coughing fit while the other man next to him stared at him like he was pathetic. Which he was, surely. The man with blue eyes helped the sick man rise back and hit his back strongly a few times.

“Now, now. It seems even being somewhat of a shifter won’t do any good for your lungs.”

“Ahem! I’m getting better, but it obviously won’t heal me overnight!”

The two men turned back to Bo at the same time, grinning so widely that it creeped Bo out for a moment.

“Mister green-lover, were you also bitten by one of those zombies and miraculously survived only to find yourself starving to death with the sweet temptation of meat twisting your insides like a maniac?”

“Eh?”

Tang Bo tried to process everything the blue-eyed man said in a single breath. There were others like him?

“Uh, yes. Yes, I was.”

“The Nokrim gang grows bigger! We now have three members, I’m so prou-cough!”

The Nokrim. That was the name their small group of “zombie shifters'' would use in the future, and Bo learned the two creepy men’s names to be Lee Songbaek and Im Sobyeong. They weren’t as creepy once he got to know them, though.

From that day on, they lived in the mountains, feeding off of animals and drinking water from the river, just like any other wild animal. That was their identity now, no matter how hard they tried to deny or find a solution for it.

Tang Bo tried to run to Busan. He was stopped by the two, not forcefully but as a piece of advice from friends.

“How do you think you’ll react next to humans when you can’t even control yourself around animals?”

Im Sobyeong’s question sent Bo into a coma of deep thoughts as his face darkened upon the realisation. After a while of internal hell, he turned to the two who observed him quietly.

“Have you been around other humans in this form?”

Sobyeong nodded slowly while Songbaek averted his gaze.

“We were both in Daegu when the hell emerged. Because of my weak state, I was instantly bitten by those monsters. I fell unconscious, and when I woke up, they were strolling around, completely ignoring me. You can imagine my shock when I realised the bite marks all over my body were gone, only the torn-off clothes remaining.”

“The other zombies ignored you?”

Bo asked in shock. So, they were indeed zombies, but unlike them, their intellect remained?

“Yes. No matter how hard I screamed or hit them, they ignored me. My shock continued until I felt hungry, just like you. Songbaek found me weeping after I attacked and devoured a person, not even realising what I was doing at that moment.”

 “Huh. Then, we can walk around however we please, no?”

“It’s not so easy. I’m sure survivors will notice our kind eventually, and I’m not sure they’ll be too nice about it.”

“They might use us for experiments, to begin with. Anything is possible. Some might hate us and try to kill us.”

Bo’s eyes were saddened as he thought of the possibilities. He experienced first-hand how terrifying the zombies were, so if the trio were even more terrifying than them, how would the world react? How would his daughter and his hyung react?

“I understand your point, but I have to leave. I have family waiting for me.”

“Don’t.”

Songbaek’s icy voice cut through Bo’s determined one. His sharp eyes slowly softened, and he bit his trembling lips as he stared at the ground.

“I thought the same as you. I tried to blend in so foolishly and only ended up murdering my loved ones. I didn’t even dare to end my life after that. I’m a fool and a coward, so the least I can do is warn you. Do you remember how you felt before hunting that deer? You might feel alright now because you ate a whole deer, but that hunger will hit twice as hard when it comes back.”

Those words made Bo’s heart skip a few beats. He gulped and didn’t know where to direct his anxious gaze. What happened to Songbaek could very well happen to Bo, and he couldn’t imagine how he’d live with himself after such misfortune. He hugged himself, scared to face his thoughts.

“What about your family, though?”

A sweet smile was placed on Bo’s lips. Thinking and talking about his family, which consisted of only Soso until now, was always relaxing for him.

“I have a daughter. She cried so much when I had to leave her. I wish I could hold her right now, but I will endure it and wait until the right moment. I also have…”

He paused for a brief moment. Who did he have? His hyung who probably still didn’t remember him? The one he left behind all those years ago out of a stupid misunderstanding?

Bo’s eyes lost their focus for a moment when he remembered the first time he met his hyung, on a hot summer day. Unlike popular belief, Bo had no friends growing up. All anyone wanted to do with him was use his family’s status. Kids his age were conditioned to get close to him by any means necessary, and Bo could see right through their little games.

“I need to get close to him. My mom says he has  so much money.”

“I know. He always rides in a fancy car.”

“He can pay for us if we’re friends, right?”

“Even our families will benefit from it.”

Those were whispers Bo heard every so often, and he despised the way nobody wanted to be with him because of his personality. He started using that to his advantage, sitting on top of the food chain even as a child. He didn’t even have to lift a finger as everyone around him did whatever they could to earn his favour.

He was so used to getting anything he wanted from anyone that getting rejected by a frail boy in the streets got on his nerves. He wanted the boy to be with him, not ignore him. Nobody dared to speak to Bo with such insults, yet that pink-eyed boy could insult his whole lineage in a single breath with the most nonchalant face.

At first, he only got close to him to prove that he could get anyone to his feet, but that changed in an instant when the boy smiled at him. His hyung smiled so wide at the gift Bo brought him that Bo had no choice but to bring something new regularly just to see him smile. He loved to see Cho Sam eat so well and thank him for the food and loved it even more when he tried to hide his teary eyes with a smile because he genuinely treasured the simple presents that the others wouldn’t even look at twice.

“Hyung, stop laughing.”

“Kehehehe. I can’t! What’s with all that green? You look like the Grinch.”

“Ugh. How do you even know Grinch? You said you don’t even have a TV!”

Bo was a stupid kid. He didn’t know what a beggar was, or why they were on the streets. He just assumed his hyung loved the hot weather outside, and was devastated when he learned the truth behind the situation a few years later.

“I watched it through a store’s TV until they kicked me out. Hahahaha. It was fun!”

Bo hated green as a child. He only wore it because his parents forced it on him since it was their signature colour. It was so frustrating to hear his hyung laugh at the stupid outfit he didn’t even choose himself.

“Hyung, seriously! I hate green! I hate it!”

“Why? It suits you so well, though. Complements your eyes, Bobo.”

“…It does? Are you lying, Hyung?”

“Why would I lie?! You punk.”

He wouldn’t admit it at that time, but ever since his hyung praised him, Bo started wearing green more often. He just told Cho Sam he started liking it, and definitely not because he was complimented on it by his favourite person.

Seeing how much he loved green after that day, Cho Sam collected all the money he got by begging, and gifted Bo a beautiful hairpin to thank him.

“Here, use this on your messy hair. How can you be so rich and don’t know how to look good? Seriously, ugh…”

“I will wear it every day, just for you, Hyung!”

Cho Sam smiled widely at the exclamation. He was grateful that Bo treasured his humble gift. He begged more desperately than usual just to get some extra money for the gift.

“Bo-ah, if we ever lose each other, wear green so I can find you, okay?”

“You’re so reliable, Hyung! I will wear green, but promise you will remember me.”

“That’s so stupid. Of course, I’ll remember you!”

“Just promise!”

“Ugh, fine, fine. I promise I’ll remember you, Bo-ah.”

They spent the rest of the summer together until the event that haunted him for the rest of his life happened. He heard a rumour, one day. That his hyung wasn’t his friend, that he was using him just to get food and gifts. Bo didn’t care about all those. He knew jealous kids would try to throw mud at them from time to time. What truly enraged him was the fact that his so-trusted hyung could betray him. Bo let him stay in his aunt’s house, bathe, eat, and sleep, yet his hyung stole his precious bracelet that was gifted by his dead sister and a few items from his aunt’s room without shame.

He was so mad that he got together with the neighbour’s kids to confront the boy after finding the items in his secret stash that only Bo knew of.

“Let’s beat him up, Bo!”

“Yeah! That’ll teach that rat a lesson.”

“Street rats belong to the street. You were so kind to let him inside your house and he betrayed you.”

Bo’s rage doubled as he heard his three neighbours talk. How dare he betray him? However, his rage calmed down the moment he saw his hyung, looking so hurt by what Bo did. He hated that his hyung could act and manipulate him so well that he almost believed him. He just turned back, walking away in rage under the downpour.

The three he took with him that day became his best friends, and Bo always thought he should be grateful to them for opening his eyes. At least, that was what his parents and auntie told him. He let them tail him after that. Sometimes he had fun, most times he just ignored the nonsense. That only lasted until the second year of high school, when the boys stole some alcohol and admitted in a daze that they were the ones who stole the jewellery and put it in the stash to make it believable. They hated Cho Sam for many reasons, but his status made it unbearable to see him.

Bo saw red after that. He was already somewhat of a thug at high school, and after that, he completely became isolated. That attitude continued through college too, enraging his family that their son whom they raised with care would constantly cause trouble and get involved in scandals that they tried hard to hide. His father made it clear that he would cut all ties with him unless he got his shit together, yet Bo didn’t listen. He knew he was a selfish prick, and didn’t want anything to do with his family anymore.

He finished college, got accepted into a boring company, and rose through the rankings with his business management abilities that had been drilled into his mind since childhood. He had Soso, thought it was a mistake, but couldn’t give her up. He co-parented with the mother that he barely even knew, and they hated each other. She also left them when she realised Bo wasn’t going to get any support from his family anytime soon, and it was only Bo again. Well, this time, he had his daughter, so at least that helped.

He sometimes remembered the pink-eyed boy and wondered how he was doing. Was he happy? Did he also have children? Would they meet again one day? He made sure to have at least one green accessory with him in hopes that he would be recognized by his hyung. Seoul was home to millions with various dreams, and he knew Chung Myung wanted to be one of them too. Maybe he was in a different city than him, yet Bo never lost hope.

He smiled as the memories popped into his mind. When he left a random man out to fight the zombies, he knew he was being selfish once again. Soso’s saddened eyes proved that to him, and he wanted to be a role model for his daughter once in his life. So he pushed the door open and pulled the man inside, who then scolded him like some kid.

He didn’t recognize him there. They didn’t even introduce themselves to each other, and they only stuck with each other to survive. It wasn’t until he heard the others refer to the man as Cho Sam that he realised how similar that name was. When his green eyes met the small, pink ones once again, he finally realised what they reminded him of. Plum blossoms.

How could he not have realised it before? That attitude, those insults he threw at his clothes, that irritating tone of voice. That was his hyung. His hyung, who did not remember him.

“Why is he smiling like a creep?”

“How would I know? We met him just an hour ago.”

“This is why you don’t pick up good-looking strangers. They could be mass murderers.”

“All of us will be mass murderers soon though, no?”

Bo’s eyes snapped back at the two sitting across him, contemplating whether Bo was a creep or not.

“I’m not like that! I just remembered a nice memory, that's all.”

“You said you have someone else before dreaming and smirking like a creep. A lover, possibly?”

Songbaek asked with curiosity. He had already claimed to be a nosy person, so Bo wasn’t surprised.

“I have a boyfriend-to-be waiting for me.”

The two squinted and stared at Bo like he was delusional.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You either have a boyfriend or you don’t. The hell?”

“We were separated! I will make sure to win him back this time.”

“Wow. A lover’s quarrel in this hell. I wish I was that leisurely and delusional.”

“Hey, it’s not a delusion!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. May all your delusions come true.”

Im Sobyeong snickered and coughed as the other two watched him with concerned eyes.

“What the hell is your condition, anyway?”

“I have a lung disease. Hey, I’m slowly getting better thanks to the spooky zombie bite, so I’m grateful for that, you know.”

“What? It caused you to recover?”

“For sure! I can feel it. How would you explain our bites healing in just a few minutes?”

Bo’s eyes fluttered when he found an answer to a question that’d been on his mind. Each time he conversed with the two, they realised something new about this whole zombie incident.

“Are we somehow superhumans now?”

“We’re shifters, shifters.”

“That’s so dorky. Find something else.”

“Then, transformers.”

“Something original!”

“Hey, being a zombie isn’t exactly an original experience, either!”

“Ugh, this sick, shameless man.”

They all bickered, and Im Sobyeong was bullied. After that night, a week had passed, and they spent most of their time in the mountains. They were closer to Daegu, so they once took a stroll in the city to find survivors, but most people were either turned or hiding without sound. And they had advanced hearing now, so it was hard for them not to hear if anyone else was sneaking around.

They tried eating human food to no avail and only ended up throwing up. They had to hunt regularly to suppress their hunger and control themselves, and it seemed to work when they came across some people yet remained completely calm.

“You want to leave tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’m getting too impatient for my own good. I need to find my family.”

They had been training since he met the Nokrim duo, and he promised himself he’d wait until he could control himself, but he just had to at least know Soso and Chung Myung were safe. A week of waiting was unbearable for him, and he felt like suffocating.

“Can we tag along?”

“Huh? This is not a field trip day. Busan must have armed forces, so it might be dangerous.”

“Pfft. Be serious. Zombies can’t hurt us, and we can sneak around well. I’m sure the armed forces will just stay in their zone.”

“Yeah. Not to be in your business, but you’ll probably need our help and I don’t want to be stuck with the ugly one here without you.”

Sobyeong stared at Songbaek like he was crazy and started rambling about whatever.

“This madman! The audacity! You…”

Bo contemplated his choices as the two bickered. Surely, three was always better than one. Their sense of smell was also heightened and they could smell humans from far away, and Songbaek did a pretty decent job at it.

“Alright. Come along. Let’s get into the city to check the condition first. If I can’t find any signs there, I’ll check my family’s estate.”

Thus, their journey to Busan started. Bo spoke with confidence, but it had been years since he last visited Busan or his family’s estate. He was nervous about what he’d come across there. Throughout the journey, they ran pretty fast and were happy to see another concrete jungle other than Daegu.

“By the way, Bo. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but how are you so sure that your family is alive?”

There was no hesitation in his answer.

“Hyung is strong. He and his friends can survive, I know it. And more than that, my hyung always keeps his promises, and he promised me he’d keep my daughter safe.”

“Oh? You fully trust him, huh?”

He just nodded at that, and they continued the road while leisurely chatting. Over the past week, Bo hadn’t gone into detail about his relationship with Chung Myung. He was ashamed of his past and afraid of facing his hyung after abandoning him. Despite that, he still hoped to be remembered by him.

Busan was a mess. They observed the huge hall that hosted so many people in it as the soldiers guarded it, and could feel a burning sensation in their stomachs. They fed on some rabbits before approaching the city, yet they were still affected by the smell.

“Was coming here a bad idea?”

“I think the problem is sensing too many people around. It’s overstimulating.”

“Bo, can you smell their scents?”

“I’m trying to. There are just so many different…flavours.”

Bo closed his eyes and tried to focus. He went through each scent in his head and finally found the scents he’d been looking for.

“Oh. Oh. They were here. Right here!”

“Were? You think they moved?”

“They did, probably a few days ago. Come on, we have to search the area to find which way they went.”

They sneaked around and watched as Bo focused on the important job of sniffing the air. The rest was easy, as the more they tracked the road, the more he realised where they were headed to, and recognized familiar scents that he forgot about.

“Why do you look so shocked?”

“Uh. I think my new family met my old one. I hope they don’t strangle each other.”

The duo confusedly scanned the man’s face and tailed after him as he started running. They reached the estate in about fifteen minutes and waited for the sun to set before moving. They were stationed on top of a higher ground, watching over as a man with long, black hair got out of the house with a little girl. The girl walked sloppily, rubbing the tears off of her eyes while the man assisted her and walked her to the pool where the others couldn’t bother them.

Bo felt his heart sink when he saw Soso cry. He wanted to give up everything and just run to her, hold her, and wipe the tears off of her face. Yet, he knew that if he did that, leaving her for a second time would be much harder on the girl. It wasn’t the time to reveal himself, no matter how hard it was. He could lose himself at any time.

“That’s your family?”

Bo stayed quiet, seemingly unaware of the question directed at him. When Chung Myung and Soso went back into the house, he waited for some time for them to sleep. He then jumped onto the mansion, quietly following the scents to find them sleeping in his old room. He bit his lower lip as he slid the window open after listening to the regular breaths of the two.

Stepping into the room felt like he experienced heaven and hell at the same time. The scents and the sight hit him, overstimulating his brain and bringing tears to his eyes. He approached the two, who slept together, hugging each other. He first caressed Soso’s hair and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. He missed his little angel so much.

His gaze went to his hyung this time. Once again, memories flocked to his brain, and he realised how much the man was worth to him. He had been waiting for him for years, only to almost lose him. He sighed and pulled the blanket that had been falling off over the two. Just at that time, Chung Myung’s eyes parted slowly, his dazed eyes meeting Bo’s teary ones.

“Bo…”

Bo’s lips parted, yet his voice didn’t dare to leave his mouth. Chung Myung’s disappointed eyes lost their focus and closed once again, forcing him back to sleep. Bo stood there for a few moments, undaring to make a single sound. As Chung Myung’s breaths fell into a regular rhythm once again, Bo released the breath he was holding and moved outside with his fists clenched. Just a bit more.

He was afraid to show himself, yet he couldn’t stay away from them. He regularly started visiting the two, observing them from afar, and sometimes giving them goodnight kisses before leaving. His heart ached every time he left them behind, but that was for the best.

✿✿✿

Two whole months had passed, and they were now ready to fully show themselves in Busan. Bo was dying from anxiety while Sobyeong and Songbaek worried about being accepted. When they reached Busan, Bo expected to go through some zombies and take some of Soso’s favourite chocolate with him to prepare for the reunion. He expected to find some survivors, maybe help them get to their destination. However, he did not expect to see his hyung lie down, ready for his death with a gun in his mouth to end it all.

After a moment of shock, he sprinted at a pace he hadn’t before even when running away from the zombies to survive. He barely managed to pull the gun toward the sky, afraid of the bang that followed immediately.

“Hyung. What the hell are you doing?”

Chung Myung stared at him with unbelieving eyes. Did he shoot himself and die? Was he having hallucinations?

He slowly lifted his hand toward Bo’s face, which softened the look in the man’s eyes. Bo was expecting a gentle and romantic hand placement, yet all he received was a painful slap.

“Ouch! Hyung, wha-Ouch!”

He crouched down on the ground as Chung Myung kept hitting him and nudging him while mumbling. That man had a huge hand, and Bo had to learn that in an unfortunate situation.

“No, but why can I hit you? I’m sure you’re dead. You talked all sappy and shit in your final moment, making me cry.”

“Hyung, it’s me! It’s me!”

“Hm? Am I also dead? Maybe I don’t remember dying. “

“No, for real, you’re not dead!”

“Where are all the damned zombies anyway? It’s suddenly so quiet. Oh, there they are.”

Chung Myung’s face distorted as he saw the dumb zombies staying away from them, quivering. He checked his surroundings, seemingly searching for someone.

“Hm? Is the Angel of Death here or something? Where is he? I don’t see a man dressed in all black.”

He turned his attention to Bo in the middle of the sentence and started hitting and poking him again. Among Bo’s grunts and moans, other voices joined the scene.

“Chung Myung-ah! Stop, stop hitting him!”

“Someone needs to stop Master!”

“Hahahaha, is this your future boyfriend, Bo?”

“He sure gives a good beating.”

Chung Myung finally stopped upon the simultaneous comments he received. There were the usual members of his group, and two other men whom he didn’t recognize also stood next to them.

Iseol approached Chung Myung first and dragged him away from Bo while mumbling.

“You’re going to kill him for real after crying over him so much.”

“Noona, are you also dead?”

Chung Myung nonchalantly asked with a stupid smile as he was being dragged through the ground.

“Let’s take this somewhere private. The zombies are afraid of us for a reason we don’t understand, but they get quite brave when their number rises.”

With Sobyeong’s advice, everyone made their way into a closeby store while Baek Cheon and Iseol carried the foaming Chung Myung. They went to the back of the store, smashing a few zombies inside, and everyone sighed thanks to the deserved break they finally got. After a brief moment of silence, Baek Cheon spoke.

“So, uh, how the hell are you alive, exactly?”

Songbaek and Sobyeong had found them being cornered by the zombies and helped them escape while Bo found Chung Myung. Although the two mentioned words like superhumans and shifters, the situation still did not make much sense to the group. They hurriedly tried to find Chung Myung after hearing the gunshot since they tried to avoid guns if possible and were accompanied by the newcomers who also wanted to find their companion.

“Well…That’s kind of a long story.”

“We have time since those damned zombies seem to avoid you, to everyone’s surprise.”

“Alright, then. You might want to sit down for this.”

Thus, the group exchanged their journey under a bizarre atmosphere, and everyone fell quiet, digesting the astonishing news about this new human-zombie species. Pae could only stare at his big brother the whole time, and he only relaxed upon receiving Bo’s warm smile.

“Wow. Honestly, I have no words. Wow.”

“So, you’re like vampires? Have to hunt and shit?”

“I guess.”

“I wonder if you can turn one of us into that too.”

Iseol’s voice was heard and everyone’s attention turned to her, wondering why she’d want that.

“What? I’d rather live freely as a half-human among zombies than run from them.”

“Kinda makes sense.”

“Uh…”

Sobyeong nodded at her words. It did make sense from their perspective, but the hunger and violence they felt inside them were not worth it at all.

“I know it sounds plausible, but we don’t even know the other side effects of it. We trained and tested ourselves, and the longest we can go is about a week after eating a whole deer. There’s so much rage in our brains sometimes, and we’re extra sensitive to noise. It might make the weak-hearted go insane.”

His words deterred anyone else from wanting to be like the three, at least for some time. Bo awkwardly stood there, watching his hyung. Chung Myung’s gaze was on the floor though, and he seemed to have no intention of meeting Bo’s eyes.

“Uh. Hyung.”

That voice came from Pae, who could only find the words to speak just now.

“Pae. Have you been well?”

“I-I have. I’m glad you’re back, Hyung. After so many years…”

Bo smiled brightly. It was a genuine smile that reached his eyes and made the emeralds shine even more.

“Me too.”

The two stared at each other with warm expressions, and both felt a burden lifting off their shoulders.

“Wow. A family reunion, indeed.”

“That would’ve been me if I hadn’t killed my family.”

“Stop trauma dumping, Songbaek.”

“I apologise.”

“Uh. Sorry to burst your bubble, but aren’t you going to ask about Soso?”

Baek Cheon asked Bo with a dumbfounded expression. The girl’s name was mentioned a few times, yet no reaction came from the man, which genuinely surprised Baek Cheon and Iseol. Chung Myung was still silently listening without uttering a single word.

“Oh. Well. Hahahaha. I kind of already know about Soso.”

Bo’s awkward smile aroused suspicion and everyone asked for a more detailed expression with their eyes.

“…I have been visiting the Tang estate these past two months to check on Soso and Hyung.”

Chung Myung’s eyes snapped at Bo for the first time since the conversation started, and his expression was not a pleasant one. Several gulps were heard when the icy voice of Chung Myung resonated in the small room.

“You…Have you been visiting us at night?”

“Uh…I have, Hyung.”

“And you didn’t think of telling me about this whole…shitshow?”

Bo’s heart raced when he saw the stiff look on his hyung’s face. Why did it feel like he fucked up?

“H-Hyung, I explained why I couldn’t show myself!”

Chung Myung scoffed at that as if he couldn’t believe his ears were hearing such words.

“Fuck you! But you did show yourself, asshole! I thought I was going crazy, seeing your shadow and face at the most random times, and hearing your voice wishing me a good night! I thought I was fucking insane, and those were never good fucking nights!”

“Uh…”

“Wow. I didn’t know you could fuck up this bad.”

“This guy…For real…”

The simultaneous judging voices he received from the others gagged him, and he gulped as his throat went dry.

“Hyung! I know how you feel, but let’s just-”

“You have no idea how I feel. I feel abandoned, Bo. Just like years ago, on that night.”

Bo’s lips trembled when it hit him just what his hyung was talking about, and Chung Myung’s cold eyes stared into his soul some more before turning away. Chung Myung rushed out of the room as Iseol and Baek Cheon followed his steps, and Bo was left staring at the blank wall.

“Hey. It’s okay. You both had it tough.”

Pae had his hands on Bo’s shoulders, supported with empathetic eyes. He had no words to speak as he followed the others to the Tang estate, his eyes trying to but never meeting his hyung’s eyes. It was going to be a long day, and he didn’t even know how to face Soso now.

✿✿✿

part 3: catharsis

He had a functioning plan in his mind. He would find Soso and hug her until she stopped crying, and then he’d calmly explain the situation to her. He believed Soso would accept him no matter what. However, he only realised after Chung Myung snapped at him that what he should’ve worried about was giving them major trauma and trust issues instead of whether they’d accept him or not. He only just realised that acceptance was the easier part. Okay, maybe he indeed lacked brain cells.

The plan continued with him begging Chung Myung until the man accepted his apology. There was no other detail on that part, he’d just weep and beg forever.

The first part of the plan went as expected. It truly broke him to see Soso’s despair, and watching the girl run to him while screaming his name and sobbing was a scene he wasn’t ready to watch. He tried hard to hide his tears, but nothing helped.

Watching his mom and dad, whom he hadn’t seen in years run toward him when they realised he was their once-beloved boy was also quite hard. He had never witnessed his dad show his emotions, let alone cry like a baby. The reunion was much harder than he anticipated, and when he glanced at his youngest brother, he noticed how much time had truly passed.

“Bo…Bo..? Is that really you?”

All the Tangs kept repeating the same words. No one could believe he was real after hearing about his death and seeing him all grown up after so many years brought back hidden memories.

Soso clung to him and never let go for hours. Bo escorted her everywhere, and they weren’t separated for even a second. It was awkward greeting everyone and explaining his story of the past years, and eventually the past two months.

What truly shocked Bo was the uncomfortable stares his family shared when he mentioned the zombies’ obeying him, and how they wanted to experiment in the Tang estate on a few mindless zombies.

Now, he would perfectly understand if the stares were caused by fright, but he knew his family and also knew they weren’t ones to be swayed by even this. He wasn’t going to give up until he found an answer, and Lord Gunak sat him down in a secluded room with Pae when Soso finally fell asleep.

“Bo, what I’m going to tell you now needs to be kept in this room. You can’t tell that to anyone, at least not until they prove to be worthy of our trust. Got it?”

Bo frowned at his father’s words. What was so important that he had to hide it from a bunch of people remaining?

“I will decide whether that information is worthy to be hidden or not.”

“As stubborn as ever, Hyung. Why can’t you do as you’re told for once?”

“Why don’t you two stop being so shady and mysterious all the time?”

“Don’t start now. Sit down, both of you. Whether you decide to keep it to yourself or scream at the world, you need to hear about this.”

Lord Gunak’s serious expression felt a bit different than usual. The man almost always held an expression that made it obvious he was too busy and stressed to deal with anyone’s shit, and now he looked ready to strangle anyone who’d breathe in a way he didn’t like.

Both brothers glanced at each other and sat down on two opposite corners of the large couch. They surely missed each other, but all those missing years placed awkwardness and pettiness between them. Lord Gunak started his speech with a long sigh and clasped his hands.

“Bo. Do you remember seeing your Grandfather work in the laboratory when you were a child?”

“I do. We were never allowed to step inside or even get close to the area.”

“Do you know why that was?”

“How would I know? I guess he was obsessively dealing with some dangerous shit like he always did.”

Lord Gunak flinched at the crude language and the reminder that his father was indeed obsessed with creating newer and stronger medicine.

“…He was. My father always experimented with different materials without a care for his health. He ended up damaging most of his organs the more he was exposed to all those chemicals, and was sick in bed until he died a few months ago, as you know.”

“Huh. The funeral I wasn’t even invited to. Of course, I know.”

“There was no funeral. We had to keep it a secret for reasons I will unveil soon.”

Bo bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from making another snarky comment. He thought he was perfectly fine with the reunion, but all his pent-up anger flowed outside whenever information related to the past left Lord Gunak’s mouth. He nodded for his father to continue, deciding not to interrupt the flow anymore.

“I guess you need to know his biggest obsession to truly understand these events. Your Grandpa had only one fear in his life, and it was the fear of death. He was terrified of it. He created all those medicine formulas that could improve his well-being, but he could never create one that would stop his death. You know how we made our fortune through selling these medicines to only a select few in the whole wide world. World leaders whose health drastically declined yet rose in a few days after consuming our pills. Billionaires who begged us like children, the biggest celebrities with some connections who tried to find us but failed. Poison that could assassinate the most important figures without being detected.”

Both Bo and Pae gulped, knowing perfectly well the dirty business their family was in. In a sense, they controlled the world from behind the curtains.

“My father finally created a medicine that could prevent death. Or so, he thought. He created some sort of powder, and all his illnesses improved drastically after he took it. There was a mole among our servants though, and he immediately delivered the news to his higher-ups. The government was at our door the next day, the President personally visiting our house to force us into giving both the remaining powder and the recipe for it, claiming we could always make more from scratch. He probably took it himself and sold the recipe to others. However, our recipes cannot be made by others, and they must have fucked up in the process. Not that the recipe itself was perfect. Your Grandpa started acting weird, just like those zombies you saw but more slowly. We had to lock him up and kill him ourselves because he just wouldn’t die even though his flesh was rotting.”

“Dad, that’s…Huge fucking news. What the fuck?”

Lord Gunak sighed and drank from the cup before him. Even he was still shocked by the news.

“We have no definite information on how the outbreak started all over the world. Someone might have put those powders into people’s drinks and foods. Or the infection might have started small on some people and evolved into this terrifying form as time passed. Who knows?”

Bo’s mind went blank after he heard everything. The infection had caused so much suffering in the world, and it was their fault. They had millions of people’s blood on their hands now.

“We…We killed them. We killed everyone.”

“We did not! We never sell a medicine unless we’re fully sure it can be used. It was the greedy bastards who decided to steal from us.”

“That’s right, Hyung. I’m not saying Grandpa wasn’t insane for even trying that, but we’d keep it in the family if it wasn’t for those thieves.”

He slowly got up and gazed at them for the final time. There was a literal war in his mind as they spoke.

“I think the reason why those zombies are afraid of you is because you’re a Tang.”

“Huh?”

Lord Gunak spoke again, this time in a lower and softer voice.

“You are used to the Tang medicine, so your skills were enhanced better than those two you came with. They probably feel your scent and the power scares most of them.”

He froze in his place and didn’t turn back at all. He wasn’t sure if he was happy to be a Tang or not right now.

“Drop by tomorrow. We’ll go out to test your skills.”

He just sighed and left without saying a thing. This was all too much information all at once.

Bo swayed left and right in the darkness. There were two different alcohol bottles in his hands, and he convinced himself that being drunk would ease his mind. It didn’t. His whole body shook from the information he learned, and he wondered how to face all the others when he and his family were the culprits of this new, lethal world.

He was ashamed. He didn’t know how to face his daughter and his hyung. The others, he did not care about much. He sat down on the terrace, watching the dark clouds that scared the stars away. What if he’d do the same thing to his hyung?

“I should’ve just died back then, damn it.”

“How dare you say that, you punk?”

His neck snapped to the direction the voice came from, and he saw Chung Myung standing a bit far from him with his hands in his pocket.

“Hyung! Why didn’t I hear you coming? I would’ve…”

“What would you have done? Snap out of your miserable state to welcome me with warm arms?”

“I would if you’d let me.”

Chung Myung scoffed at the hopeful words and stomped his way to Bo in his slippers.

“You are a fool.”

“But I’m your fool.”

“Don’t make me cringe. I’m holding myself back from beating you as it is.”

He said that, but still smacked Bo’s head powerfully enough to make him choke on his breath. Bo slowly fell face-on with his butt sticking out in the air and Chung Myung had to hold him by his nape to help him sit down properly.

“Hyung, you know your hands are way too big and powerful for your own good?”

“I do. Mind your own business.”

“But this is my business. I’m the one getting beat up!”

“Stop complaining before I smack you to death with my slippers!”

Bo held his hands over his face and cowered in fear when he saw Chung Myung hold a slipper in his hand so threateningly. It didn’t matter whether he was superhuman or not, he was sure his hyung could still whack him like a toy.

He saw Chung Myung’s hand motioning for him to pass one of the half-emptied alcohol bottles to him and watched the man gulp down everything in a single breath. The two sat silently for a few minutes and watched the grim sky in the chilly weather.

“I apologise, Hyung. I know that won’t fix the mistakes I’ve so foolishly made, but I’ll beg for your mercy until you forgive me.”

He stared at the man who wouldn’t meet his gaze and stared at the dark clouds instead.

“I…wasn’t sure whether you didn’t remember me or chose to ignore my existence when you learned who I was. Maybe you held a grudge, or maybe you didn’t care at all. I didn’t anticipate the damage I’d do to both you and Soso with my regular visits. I was so stupid. I’ve always lacked intelligence, but this was on another level.”

Chung Myung finally met Bo’s gaze and stared at the emerald eyes he missed dearly. He held a soft gaze, unlike what Bo anticipated.

“Why did you leave me?”

The meaning behind the question was clear to Bo. He imagined this conversation playing out so many times in his mind, yet experiencing it in real time exceeded all his expectations and left him speechless.

“…It’s so stupid. I thought you betrayed me and stole from me and my family. I thought the only friend I had also used me for my status and wealth, and it blinded my eyes.”

The only answer he received was silence, and he bit his lips until he spoke again.

“Do you remember the trio who tried to bully you and tailed me all the time?”

Chung Myung simply nodded. Those were painful memories. Back then, malnutrition and starvation limited his body. He couldn’t speak or fight back. He received several beatings until he lay on the ground unconscious, and the trio would only run away at the sight of Bo, who stood on top of the food chain among rich kids.

“They…deceived me. They set up a trap, and I believed without questioning it. I have always thought about that night ever since I learned the truth, and always carried a piece of green with me in hopes of coming across you. So that you would recognize me. I thought you’d live in Seoul like we always dreamt about.”

Bittersweet smiles rested on their lips, and Bo took another sip from the bottle while Chung Myung played with the empty one.

“I didn’t remember you.”

“Oh? Even when you heard my name?”

“Even then.”

Bo’s face was filled with surprise. Would it be too petty of him to be upset that his hyung never thought of him like he did, every day?

“Maybe, I don’t have the right to ask you this, but…How could you forget about me? I just…”

“It wasn’t a conscious act. I had an accident on that night you left me. I lost my memories, and only remembered them partly when you gave me that hairpin.”

“Huh? Wh-What accident?!”

“A car crash. I’m fine now, as you can see, so stop overreacting.”

Was it too obvious from his voice and face that he was shocked about this? Yes. He also felt guilty as hell, thinking about all the possibilities if he hadn’t left. Their eyes met again, and they couldn’t take them off of each other this time.

“I was trying to get to you.”

“If only I had never left.”

They didn’t talk, but they knew each other’s thoughts.

“I didn’t say that for you to feel guilty. It’s all in the past. There’s no help mourning over it now.”

Those emerald eyes stared questioningly at him for a good minute and then he finally opened his mouth as his body approached Chung Myung’s.

“Hyung?”

“Hm?”

“I love you.”

“Eh?”

“I’m in love with you.”

Chung Myung felt blood rush to his cheeks, and his heartbeats were getting louder and messier. Bo just stared at him with determined eyes and straightened his back like a soldier ready for war.

“Have you gone mad? You can’t love me!”

“Why not?!”

“Well…Uh…You don’t- You don’t even know me!”

Unimpressed eyes found their way onto Chung Myung’s face and he felt himself being judged immensely.

“Don’t bullshit me with that ‘You don’t know me as an adult!’  drama now, Hyung. I’ve been thinking about you every single day ever since I was seven, and that’s enough for me to prove I’m in love.”

Chung Myung just stared at him and tilted his head.

“Uh…Thanks, I guess.”

“That’s all you’re gonna say?”

“Huh?”

“You won’t say anything else?”

“Do I look like I want to say anything else?”

Bo stared at him, and Chung Myung glared back. They just glared at each other in complete silence like they lost their minds.

“Hyung, you’re so frustrating sometimes.”

“…Why?”

“I know you love me back. Why won’t you admit you love me back?”

Chung Myung was flabbergasted.

“The audacity! You punk, how do you know how I feel?! I hate you, I despise you! Should I just beat your ass to teach you a lesson? Huh? Come here. Come here, you rascal!”

“Wait, no! Hyung, I was just joking!”

“You shameless fucking punk. Acting all tough and bold like I forgave you!”

“Ouch! Hyung, that fucking hurts! Not my face!”

“What was that? How dare you curse at your Hyung, huh?! Fucking snake. You scoundrel!”

Thus, Chung Myung beat up his fourth crush, too. Or, maybe the first, since he was his first crush but got his deserved beating at a later time.

About fifteen minutes later, Chung Myung dragged the foaming Bo to his room to treat his wounds, only to find his face back to its former glory in a few minutes. At least his body still asked for some treatment, so he just did his job and lay down next to Bo while he waited for him to wake up.

The sight before his eyes reminded him of another memory that was long forgotten before. It hurt his head momentarily to remember it, but he couldn’t have cared less about the pain as long as he got to remember each day of that summer they spent together.

“Hyung,  you should be gentle with your patients. Don’t ever try to become a doctor, Hyung.”

“Be grateful I’m treating you. Why would you jump right in front of me? I just, ugh, you seriously lack a brain.”

Cho Sam tried to sound mad, but the slight tremble in his voice gave his true emotions away. He was the one who should’ve been hit with that bat, not him.

“I’d never let them get to you! They stopped and ran away when they realised it was me who got hit, anyway. Does Hyung’s life have no value? Why don’t you run away?!”

“Who’s gonna value a beggar’s life? Don’t be stupid. This is my fate. If I avoid a beating today, I’ll be hit twice harder tomorrow.”

Those words struck a few nerves, and Bo pushed Cho Sam’s hand furiously. He jumped up like lightning and directed his enraged gaze to his hyung.

“I value your life! More than anyone or anything, and more than your stupid brain can imagine!”

Bo threw the pack of band-aids in his hand at Cho Sam and ran away from him until he couldn’t breathe properly. He only remembered falling asleep in the garden and waking up to his hyung’s watchful eyes. Both of them lay there without uttering a single word, and Cho Sam carried Bo on his back until they got to his house.

“What’s got you so deep in thought?”

The warm voice belonged to Bo, whose curious eyes stared at him from where he lay, now almost fully healed.

“I keep remembering the lost memories at such random times.”

“What did you remember this time? Was I in it? Huh? Was I, Hyung?”

You always are, asshole.

That obnoxious question earned him a grin. Years had passed, but he was still the same Bo he knew and loved. It gave Chung Myung comfort and pushed all his worries away.

“How can you not be, when you never left me alone for even a second? You leech.”

“But you loved it. Don’t lie, now.”

“I never lie, you obnoxious little shit.”

“Hyung, you curse a lot.”

“Why? Does it bother you?”

Bo smirked at that. The bait he threw was accepted.

“No. You look so fucking hot when you curse at me.”

Chung Myung’s pink cheeks matched the colour of his eyes, and he decided to play along just this once.

“You got a degradation kink?”

“I mean…”

This time, Bo was left speechless, and Chung Myung decided to act on his trusted instincts. Before Bo could grasp the situation, he pulled the green-eyed man to himself and connected their lips. It was a harsh and sloppy kiss, and it almost felt like Chung Myung tried to display all the pent-up frustration this way, instead of wasting his time with words. Bo’s eyes widened in shock at the way Chung Myung’s hand held his jaw with such power, dominating him like he was taking revenge for everything. It wasn’t like Bo could complain about it, though. He spent an insane amount of time imagining this scene before drifting away to sleep, and his expectations were exceeded once more. His hyung loved surprising him, it seemed.

Just as Bo intended to place his hands on the man and test the limits of how long he could last breathless, Chung Myung pulled himself back. He glared down at Bo with one hand on his jaw and one on his shirt, holding both tightly. Bo’s cheeks reddened instantly while panting and he saw his hyung smirk slightly. He knew his impact on Bo’s heart and wasn’t trying to be discreet about the fact at all.

Chung Myung let go of him just at that moment, slowly pushing himself off the bed without a word. That was fine if he wanted to play this power game with him. However, Bo was not one to yield so easily. He held Chung Myung’s arm and pulled him back onto the bed, watching the surprised expression on his face with satisfaction. Chung Myung was powerful enough to beat him or walk him like a dog, but Bo’s insides tingled at the thought of overpowering his dearest hyung.

Unbeknownst to him, his emerald eyes slowly turned into light blue ones, and he didn’t give Chung Myung much chance to inspect them before he attacked the man’s lips like a wild animal. He felt hungry, but it wasn’t for food. He felt thirsty, but it wasn’t for water. His heart was burning with passion, and his mind screamed at him to attack, please, devour, and consume.

His hyung only realised he shouldn’t have teased the beast inside him a bit too late. Well, he wasn’t exactly complaining either.

✿✿✿

“How many hours has it been?”

“Don’t know. I guess it’s almost morning.”

“Shoot. We should take a shower.”

“I’m so glad to be experiencing the perks of a rich family, you know.”

“Heh. You haven’t seen our labs yet, have you? I’m gonna give you a real tour of the estate, just wait.”

Chung Myung shifted his position to make eye contact with Bo from where he lay. He quietly watched as the man placed the hairpin he had been playing with back to its place, and caressed his hair after that. He held his hand after that, intertwining their fingers and smiling down at Chung Myung.

“I’m surprised Soso hasn’t woken up yet.”

“I’ve put a little something in her food to ensure a good night’s sleep. Don’t worry about it.”

“I can’t question the dad. I’m sure you know what you’re doing.”

He said those words lightheartedly with a smile, yet Bo still frowned and pouted like something was wrong with that statement.

“You can question me. Soso kept talking about you all day. She’s grown quite attached to you, you know. Like father, like daughter. Heh. “

His chuckle was stuck in his throat when he was pinched by his hyung, and he saw the unimpressed look on his face.

“Can you go one second without flirting?!”

“I can’t! You should stop acting like a tsundere, in my honest and humble opinion.”

“You’re so annoying.”

“You should’ve said that a few hours ago when you-”

“So goddamn annoying! Just shut the fuck up and keep playing with my hair! Why is that so hard?!’’

The only answer he received was a loud cackle. Chung Myung hated being teased, and Bo loved teasing him.

“Hyung. Can you guess why I named her Soso?’’

“Do you realise how random you are? There could be a million reasons. Did you choose it because it sounds cute?’’

‘’Heh. I’m trying to be more organised, Hyung, but the world just doesn’t let me. Well, it sounds cute, but I chose it because it rhymes with my name.’’

Chung Myung tilted his head slightly to make sense of the so-called rhyme the man was talking about.

“Soso and Bo. Bo and Soso. Huh? Bo, Bo…Bobo. Oh, what, for real?’’

A huge smile welcomed his confused eyes, and he felt his cheeks burning again. Why was this man so sappy? Did he seriously have to connect every little piece of information to Chung Myung and make him ashamed like that?!

“Eh? Why do you look at me like that? Don’t you like it, Hyung?’’

Emerald eyes tried their best to impersonate the deadly weapon: puppy eyes. Chung Myung scratched the back of his head, still blushing, and tried to find the right words to speak.

“Uh, no. No, I like it. A lot.’’

Bo bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from chuckling like a maniac, which backfired and ended up as a weird fufufufu. He couldn’t stop his laugh, and could only stop himself after Chung Myung shoved a pillow to his face to quiet him down. He smiled too, after limiting Bo’s vision. He didn’t have the necessary social skills to explain himself well in such situations. He never confessed his love to anyone, whether it be to his crush or a family member. His family consisted of people he found at later times in life anyway, which was a total of three people, and they all made their way into Chung Myung’s heart without him noticing or allowing them to.

He barely remembered hugging people, and he was sure it wouldn’t pass the number of fingers he had if he tried to count. Bo would hug him or wrap his arm around his shoulders every day, yet it was all in a past he didn’t even remember until now. So yes, excuse him for being so awkward and flustered, but intimacy terrified Chung Myung like hell. Kissing the man was something, but expressing himself was another.

Bo finally stopped and removed the pillow from his face. He lay on his side this time, and his eyes caught a glimpse of the necklace hanging around his hyung’s naked chest. His hand reached for it, caressing it gently and inspecting the details.

“It’s beautiful. I didn’t think you’d still have it.’’

Chung Myung’s hand reached Bo’s and he caressed his hand the same way.

“You’ve been eyeing it forever. I found it back in my apartment. I had it all these years and never wanted to wear it for some reason, and never wanted to throw it away, either.’’

“I’m glad you didn’t. Seeing it on you like this, makes me feel alive.’’

His hand reached Chung Myung’s face this time, and he pushed himself forward to kiss the man, losing count of how many times he repeated the same motion in a single night. He moved his lips slowly to savour the softness and realised once again that he could never have enough of this. Their bodies felt hot, and they were left breathless, consumed by the intense feeling of desire. Bo stopped for a few seconds to catch his breath and placed soft, small kisses on Chung Myung’s lips. He stared at his hyung lovingly and kissed him for the final time.

“I don’t give a fuck about anyone else. Hyung, I want to be with you and Soso. I promise to protect you two until the end of time if you’ll let me.’’

His words made Chung Myung feel so reassured, and he just wanted to let him do whatever he wanted with him.

“Are you proposing?’’

“Are you accepting?’’

“Maybe.’’

“You can’t ‘maybe’ your way out of it, Hyung.’’

This time it was Chung Myung who chuckled, and Bo had no option but to watch the man like a lovestruck teenager. When he stopped laughing, he gazed into Bo’s eyes and his face had an unfamiliar expression. It looked vulnerable like he was opening himself fully to Bo, and he felt grateful to have earned his hyung’s trust after being afraid that he’d leave him for good.

“Bo. Bobo. I also want to spend my life with you and Soso. However…’’

He sighed before he spoke again with a troubled expression.

“It terrifies me to think about being abandoned and all alone. I now know that I can’t take any more lies or misunderstandings. If you’re gonna be open with me, then stay. But if you’ll leave me at any inconvenience, then leave before it’s too unbearable for me.’’

His lips parted at those words, but he couldn’t find the words to reply to that. Different images flashed in his mind, then. Had he ever been truly happy without Chung Myung in his life? He always felt a missing piece from his life and mourned that night over and over again. He didn’t understand why. He tried to forget him and move on. There was no reason to remember and miss a boy he had known for a few months that much. Yet, he did. Every day, every night, nonstop. He stayed silent for a few minutes, but when he looked into Chung Myung’s eyes, his answer was ready.

“I have lived a shitty life. A promiscuous man who had to be collected from different places in his drunk state. An arrogant man who bribed others to rise in his workplace, and a shitty father who had no knowledge or ability to raise a child. Hyung, I’ve been a disappointment most of my life.’’

“Don’t say that! You-‘’

“No, it’s okay. It’s the truth. Didn’t I also disappoint you? Fail you?’’

Bo offered Chung Myung a bitter, broken smile. Just because he tried to act like his life wasn’t falling apart before Soso, didn’t make it true. He failed his hyung, his family, and his friends.

“But, Hyung, I’ve never been so sure of myself, ever. I want to make up for all those years you spent hurting, and I want to make great memories with Soso in this shitshow. I feel complete with you in my life, and I want you to trust me with your whole heart for the final time. I promise I will make everything alright.’’

Only a soft gasp was heard after that, and Bo’s eyes were filled with concern when he saw Chung Myung cry. Although they had talked a few hours ago, Chung Myung could only let his true emotions out now. He was filled with anxiety when he thought of what the future would bring, yet he felt a huge burden lift from his shoulders now. Bo hugged him to comfort him, and he felt truly safe for the first time in his life.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.’’

Chung Myung kept crying silently instead of answering and snuggled even closer into Bo, who awkwardly patted his back and tried to comfort him with a ‘there, there’. He lifted his head and wiped off his tears after that, feeling relieved to have let go.

“You better keep your promise.’’

“I always keep my promise.’’

The two just hugged, and Bo told him everything about the apocalypse that he learnt from his father. They talked for hours and went to wake Soso up before breakfast. The girl also cried, thinking she was just dreaming, and Chung Myung felt complete for the first time standing next to the duo.

✿✿✿

The origin of the apocalypse was revealed to the others shortly after. The Tang family argued it wasn’t a great idea, but Chung Myung insisted on telling everyone about it even if a fight emerged afterwards. They were in a situation where they trusted each other with their lives, and hiding information from them would only break their trust.

They didn’t take it well, at first. Everyone was pissed to have been put into survival mode because of this, and Songbaek was mad that he was turned into this monster and killed his family. Dowi also thought the same. He couldn’t even find his family and had to trust strangers with his life.

Sobyeong was on the positive side because his condition was getting better every day, and he was all alone in this world before, anyway. Iseol wasn’t that mad after hearing the complete explanation, either. She didn’t reveal it to anyone except Chung Myung and Baek Cheon, but she had a traumatising childhood and hated this world with a burning passion. Baek Cheon stood in the middle, mad but understanding. It wasn’t fully the Tangs’ fault that the infection spread, so what was the point of pointing fingers now?

“I know you’re all mad, I am too. However, we can’t just blame them for everything when it was greedy people who went to such lengths to steal an unfinished medicine to profit from it. We have to focus on survival while we stay in this estate, which is a luxury for anyone else.’’

Chung Myung’s words quieted down the group as the unofficial leader, and Lord Gunak tried his best to support those words without backing out.

“He is right. I apologise in the name of my late father, but we can’t dwell on the past if we want to survive. We will be conducting experiments and trying out some new creations, so please bear with us.’’

He said that, but everyone knew they had the most power in the whole estate. A fight would be deadly, and the Tangs outnumbered them both in number and experience.

“Can you do something about us three?’’

Songbaek asked in a cold voice, and Lord Gunak answered patiently.

“If you’ll let me take blood samples from you and experiment on you, maybe. However, your forms seem to have evolved along the way, and I can’t promise you anything.’’

“So we have to keep hunting like wild animals?’’

“I’m sorry. We can test how much you need to eat, and how long you can go without food again. We need livestock anyway, to eat meat ourselves. Please, work with us to create a system.’’

Lord Gunak’s idea interested everyone. It truly felt like a post-apocalyptic world now, and their best shot was to stick with this family.

After everyone calmed down, they all threw in some ideas to discuss the future. They decided to find and bring some livestock and plant vegetables in the garden, and for the Hwasan trio to teach the others how to fight.

After a week, they heard that the Great Hall could no longer house everyone, so more than half the people were kicked out after the ex-soldiers took over. Most of them being the elderly or the women who couldn’t fight, they almost immediately became the prey to the zombies. A few people who could make it to the city hid there, and when Bo and the other two smelled them, they decided to take them alongside after examining them. They had a place to house a few more, but they made sure to bring only the reliable-sounding ones.

They found Jo Geol all alone in the city, too. He cried and said they ran away with his family, but both they and Yoon Jong died because of a surprise attack.

True survival began after those events. Some groups of survivors emerged along with the members of the Hall, and everyone emptied whichever supermarket or store they could find. Life went on with a new system, and the half-human trio tried to kill the zombies they came across to clean the city a bit. That was useless though, because there were just way too many that popped up from every corner.

Thus, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. Three years after the apocalypse, there were a few more people at the Tang estate, but now more than they could handle if the time came. A few zombies wandered into the forest at times, but they were killed instantly when they got too close. The less the zombies ate, the slower they became, so it wasn’t that hard to deal with them. The Tang family carried on with their experiments, yet there was no positive result.

The Hall was the real problem since they tried to watch over the estate numerous times but got caught. Curiosity killed the cat, and the Hall members weren’t happy about that. They fought, guns were emptied, and they had their own zones and areas throughout the city now.

Chung Myung worried about the whole war. They have been living peaceful lives until now, only fighting the zombies with a remarkable advantage over them. Soso was seven now, and they were a cute little family in their utopia. Chung Myung was afraid of that dream shattering.

“Stop worrying about these things, Hyung. I’ll kill anyone who tries to disrupt our peace.’’

He lifted his head to meet Bo’s gaze, who seemed to understand what bothered him, as he always did. He sighed and wrapped his arms around him. Bo wasn’t playing around with his words. He had become scarier than he could imagine because he was forced into becoming a killing machine in an unfortunate world.

“I know you’ll do. I’m just too afraid for some reason.’’

“You’ve been training everyone for the past three years. I’m sure they’ll hold their ground better than anyone else. If anything happens, I’ll hear it immediately, so relax and let’s go enjoy our tea party.’’

The so-called tea party cracked them up, and they started laughing uncontrollably again. It wasn’t because of the name, but because the contents of that party were always too unique. They had found pink tutus in an earlier expedition, and Soso loved seeing everyone in those, with their hair done. It was funny to see the men who usually carried around guns with big muscles sit down in their tutus and crowns like princesses.

They both went to their party and enjoyed their time together. Everyone laughed and felt relieved to be able to experience this when the world turned into hell. Chung Myung saw Bo smile at him, and he smiled back brightly. They kissed, hugged, tickled and played with Soso, fought, made up, made love, and travelled together. Some days were shittier than others, and some days the sun shone brighter. They tried to stick together on both days and never let go of each other no matter what. It was getting harder and harder, though. Some days, Bo was terrifying, and Chung Myung didn’t know how to react or move his body in such situations.

Today was one of the shittier days. It was raining outside, and the couple was fighting because Bo kept overworking himself and went on expeditions to kill some stupid zombies, and Chung Myung missed him. He insisted on going with him to wherever he was headed so that they could be together and he would at least be helpful to him in something.

“You’re being so selfish! I don’t want you to accompany me because I’m not going to a picnic, and I need you here to protect Soso!’’

“Protect her from what? You keep saying I worry for nothing, but you are so paranoid about these things!’’

“It’s not the same thing! You worry for nothing, and I worry because I won’t be here and you don’t want to be here, either!’’

Chung Myung’s fists clenched when he heard that, and he had to stop himself from hitting the man until his brain comprehended the stupidity of his words.

“I worry because you push yourself further from us each day and I don’t want you to die in some shithole, away from us. Why is that so hard for you to understand? Why do you keep running away again? Why?!’’

It wasn’t hard for Bo to understand. He knew he was pushing them away, but he convinced himself that he was doing this for them. One of these days, he’d end up hurting them, and he’d never forgive himself for not running away earlier.

“I’m tired. Let’s just talk tomorrow.’’

He turned around to leave the room, and he felt his eyes getting teary. He heard Chung Myung scoff, and the man’s footsteps followed him and turned him around violently.

“What the fuck? Do you think you can just run away like that? What happened to that promise you made?’’

He took a shaky breath and grabbed Bo’s shoulders. His enraged gaze was immediately gone, his expression turning into heartbreak.

“I know you, and I know you probably think you’re doing this for us. But, I’m telling you, I don’t give a fuck about all that. If you leave now, I’ll never forgive you. Seriously, whatever the fuck you’ve been doing this for will all be meaningless when I run away for good.’’

Chung Myung stared into Bo’s widened and terrified eyes, slowly taking his leave with his trembling body. Bo turned around, ran to Chung Myung, and hugged him tightly before he could leave. His crying was the only noise in the quiet room, and no words were spoken by either of them for some time.

“I…I have to hunt. I’ll be back, but I have to hunt. I’ll go crazy if I don’t, so please, let me go one more time.’’

“…Go.’’

After hearing his whisper, Bo didn’t waste even a second staying in the room. He left and did not return for hours. Chung Myung didn’t understand his reasoning. Did he think he was that controlling to not let him hunt? He fell to his knees, exhausted from the mental war he had been going through. For a mere moment, he wished he had died when he had the chance. That thought was shattered when Soso ran to him though, and he cuddled the girl to sleep, holding back his tears.

Bo was terrified because hunting animals didn’t satisfy his needs anymore. It started when he was in the city, strolling around to find a little gift for Soso. He saw a human and felt temptation rise in him like it never did before. He tried to ignore it at first, going his way to find an animal. Yet, the moment that person took a step toward him to ask for help, he turned around and rushed forward with a mad smirk. He only saw red and a few bones remaining after that.

He wished it was limited to that. He felt so violent toward everyone. He kept picking up fights with others and was constantly irritated by so many things. He yelled at Soso for being so loud one day and didn’t even remember the countless times he did the same. The girl was just humming a little melody at that time, merely whispering, and Bo was so goddamn annoyed by the ringing it caused in his ears. Similar instances happened with Chung Myung, and Bo resorted to hunting to stay sane. Yet, nothing sufficed his hunger or anger. He went to Daegu after that and finally felt his rage calm down after coldly murdering a few remaining survivors, suppressing his never-ending hunger for a mere few hours.

He knew his life was fucked after that. He tried everything, yet nothing worked. Each passing day, he was closer to becoming a wild animal. Blood tempted him, and it didn’t even matter whose blood it was. Chung Myung got injured on his arm one time, and instead of worrying about his condition, the first thing he could think of was to attack. He had to stay away from his loved ones, and even die to protect them. 

He didn’t understand why Sobyeong and Songbaek didn’t show the same reactions as him. Did the gods hate him with a burning passion? He despised his family name, then. He suffered so much for being a member of the Tang family and would cause everyone around him pain too.

What if he couldn’t suppress his hunger? What if he woke up one day and saw red, attacking his hyung or his daughter? How could he live with himself after that? He promised Chung Myung he’d never leave him, and he tried so damn hard to keep true to his words. He told him he’d protect him, but could he protect the man from himself? He hunted and consumed, but was so distracted all the time. 

A few hours had already passed after the fight and the night came. He realised he had to explain himself to Chung Myung. Not because he could help, but because he had to know why Bo had to die. He was ready to sacrifice himself by any means necessary. He’d rather see them cry over him than die because of his stupidity. 

He walked to the estate, his hands in his pockets and his mind buzzing with how to explain himself. He was so distracted that he didn’t even realise the noises he usually shouldn’t hear around here. He snapped out of it only after hearing gunshots, and he felt breathless before he started running with all the force he had. 

“No. No, no, no. No!”

His mind went blank upon hearing the familiar hissing noises of the zombies, combined with snarls and chattering teeth. There weren’t supposed to be so many of those monsters around here.

“Fuck. Fuck, no!”

The huge door that should be guarded by at least two people was wide open, and he sensed footsteps getting further away down the road. He didn’t carry his daggers with him anymore, so there was no chance of taking a few of them down. There was no time to chase after them either, so he ran inside to find his beloved family instead, only to find a sight he was terrified of even imagining before.

“What the…fuck?’’

He saw several zombies wandering inside, attacking whoever was barely alive. His eyes saw Iseol and Dowi sitting over a body like vultures, and he recognized the now-faceless body to be his youngest brother, Zhan. 

“No, what are you..?”

The two momentarily turned their heads to him, and Bo saw light blue eyes accompanied by thin, white veins staring at him. Those lifeless eyes returned to their victim, and they continued eating the flesh with their blood-stained mouths.

A bit farther from them lay another corpse, this time Pae and his flesh were being torn apart by a mindless Baek Cheon. He didn’t pay any attention to him as he continued devouring Pae’s flesh.

“Brother…No…What?’’

He saw his other family members too. His father, mother, uncle, aunt, nieces, everyone. He dragged his feet toward them, feeling heavy and breathless, and his expression twisted the more he saw the half-eaten bodies. The weird thing was that all of their bodies were pierced by bullets or arrows. Everyone other than his family members was a zombie now, and Bo’s blood boiled when he realised the people who did this probably knew about the start of the apocalypse and wanted to erase the Tang family from existence.

They chose a time when none of the half-humans was around, so they also knew about them, and probably about Bo’s impact on the mindless zombies too. His family had worked hard to build hideouts and escape tunnels, but in the end, they all died out here with no chance of escaping. It was pathetic.

He had no time to think about those though, so he snapped out of his shock and ran toward the estate, barely smelling the familiar scents fading each second.

“Hyung! Soso!’’

He kept screaming their names as he approached the third floor. He passed by each door with his heart thumping and finally reached the one the other two were in. He slowly opened the door, knowing he was wasting his time but afraid to face the sight behind it.

Chung Myung was lying on the floor, coughing up blood and wheezing. He had Soso wrapped in his arms, the girl just lying in there perfectly still.

“Ah…’’

Bo fell to his knees at the realisation that Soso’s scent was slowly turning sour, and he crawled to her while crying unbelievingly. He didn’t even know when the tears started flowing down, but his heart was burning under heavy guilt and regret.

“Ah…Soso…Soso…’’

Bo held Soso’s body close to him. Chung Myung’s hands fell off of her while he tried his best to keep his eyes open in between his wheezing. His eyes teared up when he heard Bo sob uncontrollably, and he felt life slip out of him the same way as Soso, bit by bit.

He felt a sudden touch on his body, and could barely see Bo crying over him from his blurry vision while still holding Soso. He tried to speak but could only cough up more blood. Bo was horrified as he listened to the irregular sounds of Chung Myung’s heartbeats while the man choked on his blood through the breaths he could hardly take.

“Hyung!’’

“…with me!’’

“I’ll heal…..there!’’

He could barely make sense of Bo’s words, and before the man could take him into his arms to try for the impossible, he clung to him with all his power as he kept sputtering and huffing.

“Bo…’’

He coughed and took a deep breath. He tried to focus his vision, and could finally see the emerald eyes he loved dearly up close for the final time. Tears escaped his eyes as he tried to speak through his choked-up breaths.

“…couldn’t…protect…her…I’m…”

Blood rushed from his insides, and he felt powerless to even take one more breath. However, he forced his voice to come out one more time and stared deeply into the emerald eyes he treasured dearly.

 “...sorry…’’

Bo clenched his teeth and tried to hold back his sobs. He wished to be woken up from this nightmare to no avail, and he could only hold his hyung and hope for his pain to disappear.

“No! You have to stay with me! Please stay with me!’’

He couldn’t even properly finish his sentence as he started choking up on his sobs and kept crying. He was as powerless as ever, he couldn’t protect his loved ones and he couldn’t keep his promise. He heard Chung Myung’s wheezing getting quieter and started shaking with the fear the realisation brought him. His hyung was dying, and he couldn’t prevent that, nor his daughter’s death. How did Soso feel in her last breath? Did she wish to be with him? Did she hate him for leaving her alone once again?

He felt Chung Myung’s grip loosening, saw his beautiful eyes lose light, and immediately moved forward to bite his neck as a last resort. He checked the man’s eyes once again, hoping to see some light in there, but was only met with a lifeless abyss. He put his hyung’s body down next to his daughter’s and stared at them without blinking. He stared and stared until tears started falling from his eyes again as they started turning blue. Sobs escaped from his mouth, and he could only punch the ground like a hopeless child. He cried and cried until he heard a small noise from behind him. His head snapped in that direction, and he saw Chung Myung’s body trembling on the ground.

“Hyung, my Hyung…I’m here, I’m here for you…’’

He kept mumbling as he kept caressing Chung Myung’s hair while blue eyes watched his antics silently. Chung Myung’s unfocused eyes were directed at Bo, and he didn’t care about it at all. He hugged the man and cried until he crawled back to Soso to save her the same way. He bit the girl, waited patiently until she came back, and kept talking to Chung Myung about how to take revenge for them. 

Bo kept talking as if none of those events happened just a moment ago and smiled widely while hugging Soso and holding Chung Myung’s hand. Sobyeong and Songbaek arrived just at that time, panting while tears streamed down their faces.

“Bo! We’re so sorry! We just went to the city, how did this even..?”

“…Bo?”

The two were shocked to the core at the sight they saw. Bo’s quiet mumbles creeped them out like never before while his body shook. They saw the two bodies by him who were struggling to even lift a finger, and stared at each other in fear. 

“Bo, this is…Stop…”

Songbaek tried to get close to Soso and only ended up getting sent onto the wall by Bo. He placed Soso’s trembling body next to Chung Myung’s and stood there with a mad look in his eyes. Sobyeong tried to stop Bo to no avail, feeling his back hit the hard wall as the man’s hand choked the life out of him. Sobyeong was much weaker than Bo, but he never imagined he’d have to face the man.

His neck was snapped just in a second, and Bo stomped on his head until he made sure it wasn’t connected to his body anymore.

“What the fuck? You fucking psychopath, have you gone insane?!”

Songbaek attacked him only to share the same fate, and Bo’s cold eyes inspected the mess he made for a few minutes. The two lifeless bodies lay on the floor, ready to rot and be eaten by mugs. He turned around, then. He smiled brightly at his family and helped them stand up. He led them outside while humming a song, and the two mindlessly followed from behind.

Neither Chung Myung nor Soso talked, but that was okay for Bo. He would do the talking as long as they listened. He didn’t care about the occasional grunts or moans, no. He didn’t care about the attacks either.

“Are you hungry? Is that why you’re attacking me?’’

If they wanted to eat, Bo would help them eat. He cleared the estate for them while humming the melody Soso loved, went into the city to find a few humans, knocked them unconscious, and brought them to his family. They ate, and Bo cleaned after them. Their days proceeded like that, and Bo was exhilarated to be with them. He saved them, after all.

Their attacks began to be more violent as time passed, but that was okay. Bo just held them inside the laboratory, safe and away from the bad people. He kept his promise of protecting them. Right?

Every day, he brought new food. They ate together, and Bo gave Soso her favourite toys. He brought newer ones from the city, and installed a pink little table with a few teacups on it. They had to keep their tea party tradition going no matter what.

“Why don’t you want to play with them, Soso? Should I bring you better toys?’’

No answer could be heard, but that was okay.

“Hyung, what should I bring you? You can’t play with toys, so what should I…’’

Bo started talking to himself again. He wasn’t expecting an answer, but he was also past the point of waiting a few seconds before speaking again.

A laugh echoed in the room. Bo was laughing like he heard the funniest joke in the world, yet his laugh seemed so forced like he was held at gunpoint. The tears in his eyes started rolling down while his laugh also calmed down, leaving its place to moans and loud cries. This was his daily routine now. He cried until he felt powerless, and chuckled like a maniac once again.

“Gotta go insane to stay sane. Right, Hyung?’’

He sighed and continued mixing up the chemicals in the lab. He tried each creation either by swallowing or injecting them into his body. He didn’t even know why he was doing this. Did he want to create a medicine to heal his two prisoners? He was just passing time, trying for the impossible. He just didn’t want to face reality, so he played little games by himself.

“I’m so fucking sick of this world.’’

His enraged voice was heard in the silence. He threw the chemicals to a wall, causing them to crash and burn, leaving a small smoke behind. He dusted himself up and started preparing dinner for his family while humming the same melody.

“Proudly swept the rain by the cliffs…’’

He reached for the knife and approached the deer he caught.

“As it glided through the trees…”

He sliced and chopped.

“Still following ever the bud…”

He placed the food onto plates, ready for his family to eat together in peace.

“The ‘ahihi lehua of the vale.”

He kept singing as he remembered the object in his pocket. His hand slowly reached for it, and he happily approached Chung Myung to show it to him.

“Here, Hyung. I brought you your necklace. Why did you take it off before?”

He put it around Chung Myung’s neck as soulless blue eyes watched him again. Chung Myung lifted his hand to touch Bo, but the man caught his hand before he could grab him.

“No, Hyung. That’s bad. Don’t do it, alright?”

When he was finished, he glanced into his hyung’s eyes again. He wanted to see the warm pink, yet it was long gone.

“You had such unique eyes, Hyung. Beautiful ones. I hate the blue.”

He caressed Chung Myung’s hair lightly, his hand only stopping after feeling a familiar object. He took the hairpin and showed it to Chung Myung.

“Oh no. Look, a part of it is broken. What do we do?”

No answer came as he worriedly inspected the hairpin. He turned his head to meet Chung Myung’s gaze again, and his whole body jerked so suddenly. Chung Myung’s blue eyes had an unfamiliar glint in them, and tears were rolling down. Bo just stared at the tears. He couldn’t blink or gulp. He couldn’t speak, scream, or cry.

“Hyung, are you in pain?”

Unanswered.

He couldn’t run from reality anymore. He tried so hard to keep his family together, yet he failed. He was a failure all his life, and facing that fact hurt his heart. He lay down on the cold floor, smiling through the pain and the tears. He moaned and gasped for air, guilt covering his heart in immense heaviness.

What was he even thinking? Playing family for days, trying to act like he deserved a family? He took a shaky breath and slowly rose to his feet. He stared at Chung Myung, whose tears dried long ago on his slowly rotting flesh. His lifeless blue eyes were back to the same indifference that crushed Bo’s soul.

“I see. I apologise for not letting you go. I will end your pain, Hyung.”

Bo staggered around to find a sharp knife and returned with blank eyes.

“Take good care of Soso for me, Hyung.”

He stared at the two figures one last time. Little Soso was dragging her feet in the room all day, not paying attention to anything except food. He attacked Bo at times with no damage, but he never did the same with Chung Myung. Even dead, she recognised the man, it seemed.

Bo approached them with steady steps and took the remaining life out of Soso first, placing a soft kiss on the slowly rotting flesh. He closed Soso’s eyes with love, and mumbled soft apologies for causing her so much pain. He approached Chung Myung then and sat down cross-legged in front of the motionless body. 

“Tell me you love me next time, okay, Hyung? I wanted to hear it from you, at least once.”

That was one of Bo’s biggest regrets. He wished to hear those three words, yet never received them. Chung Myung’s actions were enough for everyone to know he only had Bo in his heart, but hearing those words even once would add a few more years to Bo’s life. 

He caressed his hyung’s hair one more time and sliced his throat in a single, swift motion. He watched as the blue eyes went dark, and closed them with his hand. He took the hairpin from his pocket and placed it back onto his hair.

He watched both bodies for hours. He sat in the darkness without blinking and kept thinking about the same memories over and over again. The sun was lost on the horizon, yet he didn’t move. It rose back to its place, yet he didn’t move then, either. He sat there in the same position for a few more days and finally carried the two bodies outside. He buried them, sat by them, watered the soil, and placed some flowers on them.

“I wish we had plum blossoms here.”

He sighed and went inside the manor to get his weapons. He had revenge to take before dying. He went outside, found the Hall, and tortured each one of them. He severed their limbs and threw them before the zombies. None of them could escape his senses, and he made sure each one had a ruthless death, whether they were there that day or not.

When he finally returned to the manor, he watered the flowers with care. He took a dagger and lay down next to the two. He hugged the bare soil in the cold and watched as snowflakes landed on it. 

He smiled brightly and felt alive for the first time in a while as the cold hit his face. This world meant nothing to him. He was a fool whose heart was filled with regrets, but that also meant nothing. No matter how much he cried or apologised, what good would it do?

“Are you watching me, Hyung?”

His eyes turned to the sky. Several snowflakes made their way to the ground, and he raised his hand to inspect their shapes. They were all unique and beautiful, but one of them was the prettiest he had ever seen. It was in the shape of a plum blossom, and Bo didn’t even know it could be possible, yet it was so stunning.

“Is that you, Hyung?”

He placed a soft kiss on the snowflake, making it disappear on his dry lips. He smiled and finally felt ready, grabbing the dagger from where it lay.

“I will find you in my next life, too. The one after that, too. Wait for me, Hyung.”

After savouring the feeling of the cold, he pushed the dagger into his heart. As his blue eyes slowly lost all light, he only thought about finding his hyung in his next life too. Maybe he was being delusional, or maybe he was a fool. He did not care. He did not know how, but he truly believed they were fated to exist together, and for one another.

the end

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