약속 | 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣.

삼

The distant sounds of chaos persisted outside as Seok locked the restroom door, their eyes meeting in a silent acknowledgment of the dire circumstances. Y/n leaned against the cold wall, catching her breath, while Seok scanned the small space for anything that could be of use to them. Soon though, his dark eyes shifted over to focus on Y/n whose head was bowed. "왜 그래?" He questioned. "What's the matter?" He knew how inappropriate it was to ask this at a time like this, but he just wanted to make sure that she was alright. Or rather, prepared since anything could happen. They don't know how intelligent these things are. "I, um... 어떻게 지내요?" He continued to inquire with furrowed brows, unsure of what to say. "How are you?"

"괜찮아요. 어떻게 지내?" Y/n raised her head, speaking slowly, but kept her eyes averted. Out of all the things that could've happened today, this wasn't on the list. Who would've thought she would be fighting for her life one moment and be locked in a water closet with her crush the next? She sighed. "I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'll be alright."

In the distance, muffled cries and the guttural growls of the infected reached their ears, prompting the two high schoolers to flinch violently. "We can't stay here forever. What's the plan?" Seok spoke in a hushed tone.

Y/n bit her lip, contemplating their next move. "We need to wait until it's safe. Once the noise dies down, we'll have a chance to slip away unnoticed. Or..." she trailed off. "Until Jin-hee and Yong-guk come and get us." She added. She hoped that they were holding themselves off. They had to be just fine because, in all honesty, Y/n can't picture a world without them, but she should start working on her apology now for not helping them when they needed her most.

"That works for me." Seok leaned back slightly and rested his head on the back of the wall, trying his best to relax.

"... What's going on?"

"Oh my God!"

"What the hell?!" People continued to scream outside as they hurried past the restrooms whilst Seok and Y/n maintained eye contact, looking at each other expressionless.

"I'm sorry," the dark-haired boy suddenly said, surprising Y/n. She looked at him quizzically.

"Sorry? For what?" she asked, unsure of what Seok was referring to.

Seok sighed, his eyes avoiding direct contact. "For the way I treated you out there. I shouldn't have used that tone. I was scared, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you." He explained himself, it wasn't the way he was taught. Growing up, he was taught to always respect women and he broke that rule out there. He was being selfish and careless with Y/n's feelings and for that, he is deeply regretful.

Y/n blinked, processing his words. It took a moment for the sincerity of his apology to sink in. "Oh," she said, her surprise giving way to a small smile. "I-It's alright, Seok. I understand. You were just trying to protect us..."

Seok met her gaze, relieved by her forgiveness. "I was just worried, you know? It's not an excuse, but I just wanted to let you know," he straightened himself out. "Plus, I don't know how long we're going to be in here. Might be a long ride." He added with an awkward laugh.

Before they could delve further into the conversation, a sudden, loud ringing echoed through the train. Both Y/n and Seok exchanged alarmed glances as the conductor's voice boomed over the intercom. "Attention, please," the older man cleared his throat. "Due to the current situation, we will no longer be stopping in Cheonan. For your safety, please remain calm and stay in your designated areas. We apologize for any inconvenience." The conductor is clueless about the danger encircling the people he swore to get safely to Busan. He only knows bits and pieces of what's going on, but not the full story.

People are going rabid!

"That's just great..." Seok muttered sarcastically to himself as he pushed back two fistfuls of hair, maneuvering his bat carefully to not accidentally hit Y/n or make any unwanted commotion when he did this. The train rattled on its tracks, carrying them deeper into the heart of the unknown. He chewed on his lower lip before shaking his head. Frustrated, Seok looked down. "S/n, if I asked you something... you would be honest with me, right?"

"Yes." She swiftly replied.

"Do you think it's just as bad in Cheonan?" Seok wasted no time asking this. He didn't want to believe that... whatever was happening to the feral individuals on the train was happening nationally, or worse: globally. He just wished this was a contained happening and that their not stopping in Cheonan was nothing more than a coincidence.

Y/n took a moment to think about it. As much as she wanted to consider things to be better there, she wasn't about to bet her life on it. "Yeah..." she whispered. "Or worse. I mean, think about it," she started. "If the same thing is happening there, then those things have more people to infect, but regardless, it's just not worth the risk of stopping there." She finished.

"I guess you're right..." Seok frowned once Y/n gave her opinion on things. She was being realistic and he appreciated her honesty, even if it majorly came with a bad outlook on things. After a few moments, the dark-haired boy's attention was diverted away from their chat and to the uproar outside the door. Or rather the fact that there wasn't any. "Things have quietened outside. Do you think we should step out and check things out?"

"No, I don't think we're in much shape
to do anything right now." Y/n said, solemnly. They're both tired. They should try and relax if they're able—they can swap places periodically if they need to. She would feel bad for sitting the entire period that they're stuck in here and have Seok stand up, his legs will be all sore.

They regard each other for a moment. Seok painfully slumps down across from his classmate. "Well... what do we do?" He was at a loss and even though he should probably shut his trap, he didn't know what else to do other than talk. It was just something that he did when he was nervous.

"Why don't we just..." Y/n pursed her lips together. "Wait here for a little while, see what happens?"

"Yeah. I can do that."

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Just in case no one has realized yet, there will be times when I will put dialogue in Korean and then translate it for you all to understand what's being said. I just do this to make it a bit more realistic and besides, it's fun to do!

And I also hope that everything that I am translating/the Korean I'm using is correct! 😅 it would be awkward if it wasn't, but that's okay! It's all a part of the learning experience.