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Korea, after five years of apocalypse, was gradually recovering. Residential zones were appearing, as were guilds and monster-fighting companies. In short, people had begun to rebuild society and could now fight back against the monsters, even if it had cost them a certain price.
Team 1, together with their leader, had gone out on a mission to eliminate recently appeared monsters near the safe zone.
The team members were chatting excitedly after the battle:
— Phew, that was a pretty good warm-up.
— Yeah, this time they were pretty weak, but there were quite a lot of them.
— It was a bit hard to keep track of all of them.
Calmly surveying the area and not noticing someone, one member of the team grew worried:
— Hey, by the way, where's our maknae?
Choi Jung Soo, who had returned after talking with the leader, answered:
— He's right there, sitting in one spot for a long time now.
In the distance, a young man could be seen sitting on the rubble of a building, staring off into the distance with a disinterested gaze.
The others were mildly amused by their maknae:
— Heh, he's sitting there like a puffed-up bullfinch.
— Ha-ha-ha, it really does look like that!
One of the seniors cuffed them both on the back of the head:
— Stop laughing, don't you have anything to do? The team leader told you to search the area—those creatures might still be around.
Startled, they began to protest:
— Ow-ow, that hurt!
— What was that for, Hyung?!
For which they received a very intense, stern glare.
— Fine, we're going, we're going...
— Sigh...
The man who had chased off his comrades, and the woman standing beside him, looked at the person who was more like the "Head" of their company than the "Body." But he was an excellent strategist, which made them unable not to adore him.
The woman sighed heavily, looking at Kim Rok Soo:
— He hasn't moved from that spot the entire fight—he'll turn into an icicle.
All the team members, thanks to their active fighting, looked like they'd just come out of a sauna and were about to start stripping off from the heat, while this weakling, with his tiny muscle mass, looked like he'd be blown away by the wind at any moment and would crumble like a frozen leaf at the slightest touch.
— Should I give him my jacket?
— You know he won't accept it—he worries about others more than himself.
— Sigh, you're right. Oh!
They watched as Choi Jung Soo, creeping stealthily, approached Kim Rok Soo from behind.
— What's he doing over there?
— I don't know—I thought the team leader told him to patrol the area too. Although he did work hard today. Sigh, he's probably going to bother him as usual—we need to save the maknae...
He was about to walk over, but was stopped mid-motion.
— Wait a moment—it's so fun watching those two; I'm curious what'll happen this time. Let's watch for a bit?
— Hmph, fine.
Sitting on a concrete shard of the building, Kim Rok Soo was looking around the perimeter with disinterest, catching glimpses of his team out of the corner of his eye. It was cold and boring.
«Maybe I should go check the area too...»
But before he could even finish the thought, he met the watchful gaze of his leader, who seemed able to read minds and was keeping a close eye on him.
«Never mind—I'll stay. He still hasn't let me off for that situation with the human traffickers.»
He himself deeply regretted acting so rashly and rushing the arrest, which had ended up putting his life in danger.
Everyone on the team had been terrified when they saw him covered in blood from glass shards and a deep knife wound in his side. Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo had been especially worried.
They told him they would keep a close watch on him, because whenever he was left alone, Kim Rok Soo attracted every possible trouble right onto his own backside.
— Haaa...
Exhaling warm air, his breath formed steam. It was the end of December—New Year's was coming soon.
«At least then I can finally eat well.»
Snow was beginning to fall slowly. Kim Rok Soo looked up at the sky, and snowflakes started landing on his face. He closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the coldness of the snow on his skin.
He was used to the cold, so he often didn't notice it. As a child, because he had too little clothing and it never fit him properly, he'd had to endure terrible cold. The apartment had been freezing too, and he'd hidden under a single thin blanket. Even during the apocalypse, it had been much better.
«It's not that cold. I just want to get into a warm bed soon...»
But once again interrupting his daydreams, he was caught in a bear hug. A cheerful voice rang out near the top of his head:
— Rok Soo-ya! I've come to save you!
Wriggling in the embrace like some kind of worm trying to shake him off, he grumbled:
— Get off, Jung Soo. Save me from what? You're going to crush me right now.
Hugging him tighter, he chattered warmly against the top of his head:
— From what? From turning into an icicle, of course! You're not moving at all—you must be frozen to that spot, huh?
He eventually managed to shake him off, but Jung Soo didn't give up, standing in front of him with a sly grin. Kim Rok Soo grimaced and turned away. Struggling against such a giant had actually warmed him up, making his cheeks flush red.
— Hey, dongsaeng...
— I'm not your dongsaeng. Don't even start.
Kim Rok Soo began to frown.
Tilting his head slightly, Jung Soo decided not to annoy him too much today:
— Rok Soo, come on, Rok Soo-ya...
— What do you want.
Turning to face him, he saw something he hadn't expected at all. Though from this punk, you could see a lot of unusual things.
With a bright smile, leaning toward him with his hand outstretched, Choi Jung Soo proposed:
— It's snowing—it's so beautiful! Dance with me!
His dongsaeng's eyebrow rose, showing his displeasure.
— What? No.
Jung Soo looked like a dog whose favorite toy had just been taken away.
— Whaaat?! Why?
Looking at the others checking the area, he stated the most obvious thing to him:
— Why are you here? Everyone's busy, and you're slacking off?
Choi Jung Soo slumped down onto his haunches and made a pitiful face:
— You're cruel, dongsaeng. I killed the most monsters! I have no energy left! The team leader told me to rest.
«Then why are you bothering me if you're tired?»
Kim Rok Soo just bored holes into him with a displeased stare. Noticing the smile forming on Jung Soo's face, he wondered what scheme he'd already cooked up.
— Hmm. Oh! You still owe me a wish, you know.
— So?
One evening, when he, Jung Soo, and the team leader had been playing cards, they'd cheated and wrung a wish out of him.
— Well then, my wish is—to dance a winter waltz with you!
— A winter waltz?
— Yeah, the one that was popular on social media before. To that, um, English song.
He recalled that before the apocalypse, couples and friends had filmed that trend when it was snowing.
Jumping up, Choi Jung Soo pulled him by the hand. Though Rok Soo put up weak resistance, he quickly got tired of it and shuffled along lazily after him.
Walking to a relatively clean area, he stopped in front of Rok Soo and called out to the senior watching them:
— So... Hey, Hyung, play that song about the snowman.
— Oh, why? Well, fine—coming right up...
Kim Rok Soo was already regretting getting involved in this.
As the song started, Choi Jung Soo looked around awkwardly, doing nothing. Kim Rok Soo just stared at him:
— Well?
— Hang on, hang on—wait a moment.
As the right part of the song approached, Choi Jung Soo, imitating those elegant dancers, offered his hand. Snorting, Kim Rok Soo accepted.
Let's go below zero, and hide from the sun.
They danced, moving closer and farther apart in time with the music. Then Choi Jung Soo guided Kim Rok Soo under his arm, switching places.
I'll love you forever, where we'll have some fun.
The teammates, who had started to gather, were surprised and began to smile at the scene.
— Hey-hey, film it quickly!
— Shh, quiet! I'm already filming.
Yes, let's hit the North Pole and live happily.
Repeating the same movements, they looked so peaceful under the snowfall.
Apparently Choi Jung Soo didn't know English well, so humming the song quietly came out very off-key. Kim Rok Soo could barely hold back his laughter.
— Pfft.
His pseudo-Hyung looked at him like he was a traitor. Though it made him laugh too.
Please don't cry no tears now, it's Christmas baby.
Taking a waltz stance, he led Rok Soo. Even though they both barely remembered how to waltz, so far they'd managed without any crushed toes.
— If you step on my toes, I'll kill you.
— Okay, okay.
My snowman and me.
Approaching his team, Lee Soo Hyuk heard the music.
— Oh-ho.
He was surprised that Rok Soo had agreed to something like this. But he was also gladdened by the pleasant atmosphere. Someone even joined the two of them.
— Ha-ha-ha.
As the waltz ended, Choi Jung Soo decided that his dongsaeng had too few surprising events in his life, so he hooked his leg, catching him the way you dip a partner at the end of a waltz.
— Damn it, Jung Soo!
He glared viciously at his smug face and quietly scooped up some snow in his hand, slamming it straight into his face.
— Oh, you! I didn't drop you, and you! Come here right now!
Kim Rok Soo quickly darted away from Choi Jung Soo, who was determined to either throw him into a snowdrift or nail him with a snowball.
— Jung Soo, if you hit me in the face with a snowball, you're sleeping outside!
Normally, Kim Rok Soo would have been annoyed by such childish games, but right now it was fun watching Jung Soo, whose entire face was covered in wet snow, trying to get revenge.
Watching this, Lee Soo Hyuk covered his face with his hand and groaned with a smirk:
— Aigoo—just like children.
Some, caught up in the playful mood, also started competing in a snowball fight.
And accidentally hit the leader. Everyone who had been participating froze like statues on the spot, then quickly dropped their snowballs.
Lee Soo Hyuk closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a wicked smile and said:
— When we get back, everyone's coming to my training session.
— ...Damn.
---
Walking back to the company building, everyone was silent.
Feeling something warm trickling down his lip, Kim Rok Soo brought his hand to his nose.
Looking at Kim Rok Soo, Choi Jung Soo exclaimed:
— Hey, you've got a nosebleed!
Though it was a familiar sight, the team members grew worried for their maknae.
— What happened? Were you okay after the battle?
Unable to stand the sight of the youngest trying to wipe the blood with his sleeve, Lee Soo Hyuk took out a handkerchief and held it to Rok Soo's nose.
— You're going to smear it everywhere.
Taking the handkerchief, he answered the question:
— Well, I did use a lot, actually. It should have come earlier, but because of the cold it didn't—now it's just gotten warmer.
«A lot on those kinds of monsters? Their patterns are easy to remember.»
Lee Soo Hyuk looked at him with suspicion.
«Either that, or someone just decided to record the moment.»
Kim Rok Soo thought his new record was worth it, even if his nose had started bleeding.
Taking a breath, Lee Soo Hyuk ruffled Rok Soo's hair and said:
— Let's go. No training today. I'm treating everyone.
The faces of all the team members lit up at the news. Of course, Choi Jung Soo and Kim Rok Soo, as the biggest food lovers, were the happiest of all.
—Yeah ! Hyung Lee Soo Hyuk is the best team leader!
— Heh.