𝓹𝒐𝒓𝓹𝒉𝒚𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒔 - 𝒐𝓯 𝓹𝒖𝒓𝓹𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒆
┈┈┈┈┈𖥸┈┈┈┈┈
Having barely reached the first hill away from school ground, you hear the explosion in the distance before you can see it, an overwhelming blast of sound that knocks the group to the ground from the sheer force of it.
Torrents of fire.
A shower of sparks.
Plumes of smoke.
When the light that consumes your vision fades and your overloaded senses dulled, all that's left is an eerie hush, a rare moment of silence in the woods that are never still.
In a half crouch, Su-Hyeok completely covers you with his body, arms caging you in protectively. It's not until he tightens his hold on you however, lowering his head to peer into your bloodshot eyes, that you realize the extent of your trembling. The look of unmistakable utter concern on his face has you dipping your head, avoiding his stare as you try to pull away.
"Come here," Su-Hyeok whispers, nearly inaudible, torn to see you in such a state.
You bite the inside of your cheek, hoping to suspend teardrops on the rims of your eyes, but they sting from the effort, and your vision gradually hazes. When the first tear falls, the subsequent ones follow, and you're unable to stop it. Discouraged, you swipe at your eyes with the back of your hands, wanting to hide your tears as you inhale unevenly. "Why?"
Su-Hyeok sighs before he turns you back toward him, cupping your face in his hands to wipe off the tears still lingering in its descent down your cheeks. "Because I don't want you to be crying into nothing. Cry into me."
That only serves to make you weep harder, but he lets you relieve your feelings of anguish by drawing you close, rubbing soothing circles into your back. You can hear his hammering heartbeat where your head is pressed against his chest. Su-Hyeok tucks your head underneath his chin and sits quietly, consoling you with his presence alone.
On-Jo's own sobs in the distance drown out yours as she regards the place where she left both her dad and Cheong-San behind, never to see them again.
Spotting her abruptly rise, you know she's thinking of going back on a whim, unaccompanied.
Su-Hyeok is on your heels as you make your way toward her.
"On-Jo..." you reach out to place a hesitant hand on her shoulder and she practically jumps, hyper-fixated on the rising embers from her vantage point.
She glances at you, eyes brimming with tears. "I shouldn't act like this. I'm sorry."
You squeeze her shoulder. "Why are you apologizing? I understand."
"Can you...wait a bit?" On-Jo struggles to get out, gazing back and forth at the school and everyone else sitting scattered in the forest. Thinking better of it when she notices Su-Hyeok's eyebrows scrunched together in worry watching you, she backtracks and shakes her head. "Come to think of it...never mind. You and Su-Hyeok can go ahead with the rest. I'll catch up, I promise."
Pivoting on her heels, On-Jo sets a brisk pace toward her destination, sparing no second glimpses back as she cautiously descends the steep slopes, hands in her pockets and head lowered.
Her petite form begins to shrink into obscurity.
"I can't let her go alone."
"And I can't let you go alone, either."
You're about to retort when Su-Hyeok's expression silences you. His eyes alone reveal how extremely worried he still is, brown orbs flitting back and forth between your own.
Nam-Ra walks up beside you then, and voices softly, "I'm going to keep all of you safe. Let's go." She regards On-Jo's retreating back. "The sooner we leave, the sooner we can return."
"Don't you know three's a crowd, Nam-Ra?" Su-Hyeok teases, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Exactly, so butt out, Bare-Su." Nam-Ra links her arm through yours and pulls you along, following in the path On-Jo took mere moments ago. "Two's company and mine is better," she mocks, and that makes you smile for the first time in a while.
Su-Hyeok gapes after her remark, too stunned to speak, before Dae-Su draws his attention.
"I'm coming with."
"No, your leg is badly hurt." Su-Hyeok points at the gnarly gash in Dae-Su's leg where blood is seeping through, the red stain more visible against his light-colored pants. "We won't be long."
By the time Su-Hyeok meets up with you, On-Jo, and Nam-Ra, the three of you have already made your way up a considerable distance on the now-charred steps and soot-covered remains of the construction zone.
You and Nam-Ra keep your distance as On-Jo ambles to the middle of the foundation, staring off into the distance, looking smaller than ever. Her white jacket now having taken on a beige hue is a stark contrast to the blackened rubble surrounding her.
"Cheong-San!" On-Jo's screams echo of the barren walls. "Yah! Lee Cheong-San!" Her next words die out at the back of her throat, the inflection all warbled and wavering against a new onslaught of tears. "You promised we'd talk about it tomorrow, yesterday. The sun is up now, so stop playing around and come out here! Let's talk." On-Jo cries louder, almost hysterical. "I want to see you..."
Su-Hyeok lingers in the background, staying alert and on guard, afraid the sudden commotion in the desolate area would draw unwanted dangerous attention.
The fresh wound in your heart feels like it's being torn open again, riding on the wave of strong emotions no less than On-Jo's. You take tentative steps forward and wrap her shaking form into a hug, tears automatically spilling over once more as she buries her head into your shoulder and sobs.
Nam-Ra comes over soon after and embraces both of you, her arms stretching to encircle around both you and On-Jo. "We should leave. I don't sense anything and that means no one's here. Why don't we say our goodbyes to Cheong-San first?"
Neither you nor On-Jo can force yourself to speak up, the thought of this as the end so tragic and heartbreaking, though you two are fully aware of being one denial away from acceptance.
Eventually, Nam-Ra is able to coax you and On-Jo away. The longer you linger, the harder it is to leave, even though it was the sole thing you had wished for at the start of this dilemma.
How ironic.
You were dying to live.
And now, you're living as though you're dying.
Upon regrouping, Dae-Su's leg is progressively getting worse, Su-Hyeok and Wu-Jin lending him their shoulders for balance as he can only bear weight on the opposite one, their movement and speed marginally slower.
Rotating your head over your shoulder, you assess the injury before digging around for any extra fabric on hand. Taking notice of your predicament, Nam-Ra reaches behind her head and unties the cloth serving as her eye covering. She holds it out in front of you. "Here."
"What about you, then?"
Nam-Ra supinates your hand gently, placing the fabric into your palm and closing your fingers around it. "Dae-Su needs it more."
Sensing your indecision, she nods with certainity and pushes you to the back of the group.
The trio of boys look up as you approach, presenting the white strip. "Dae-Su, I'm going to need to tie this around your thigh to stop the bleeding."
"Go ahead, I trust you."
Without reluctance, you make to kneel in the dirt, knowing Dae-Su would definitely struggle to sit, but Wu-Jin stops you by grabbing hold of your forearm, making you turn to him. "I don't want you to have to get on the ground."
"I don't mind, and I'm the only one who can. We need to hurry because if I don't apply this makeshift tourniquet, Dae-Su's going to lose blood severely; severe enough to be fatal."
"Then, show me how, and I'll do it," Wu-Jin insists.
Dae-Su suddenly contemplates you for a long while.
"Is something wrong?" you question, confused.
He casts a sidelong look over to Wu-Jin, eyes widening slightly before he answers you, countenance quickly returning to normal. "No, it's nothing," Dae-Su replies, sounding unsure even to his own ears, but he brushes it off easily. "The only 'quet' word I know and prefer is 'banquet,' so can we maybe not let me die?"
"Right, sorry!" Wu-Jin hurries and drops to one knee before you can, looking up at you and extending his hand toward the fabric.
Conceding, you reluctantly pass it over, and he withdraws his hand when your fingers brush, moving away and clearing his throat. "So...what do I do?"
"First, you have to locate the site of injury, but since Dae-Su has long pants on, we're going to need to estimate from the tear instead or—"
"I can take them off," Dae-Su interjects nonchalantly.
"We don't need to see all of that," Joon-Yeong quips from where he's waiting to the side, now on the receiving end of his friend's death glare.
"Anyway," you emphasize, refocusing. "Wrap it mid-thigh starting from the back so that you can tie it to the front, right over the wound."
"Does this look passable?"
"A little lower," you direct, guiding his hand down.
"Yah," Dae-Su chides. "I'm the one losing blood so why are your hands quivering like that?"
"He's probably queasy," Su-Hyeok supplies, oblivious.
Without warning, Wu-Jin pulls on both ends so tightly to cross one another, Dae-Su screeches.
"What the fuck is going on over there?" Mi-Jin hollers from the front. "What animal did you slaughter?" She rolls her eyes at the sight, turning back around once more to lead the way.
"Not that tightly!" Wu-Jin immediately relaxes his grip, but the guy is smiling, proud at the reaction he drew out from Dae-Su as payback. "Compress the area tight enough to limit blood flow but don't entirely cut off his circulation," you warn.
The second time around, thankfully, Wu-Jin does it properly and without any more problems to Dae-Su's wellbeing. After you deem it satisfactory, you leave the two to resume their bickering and catch up to walk side by side with Nam-Ra.
Ha-Ri brushes aside wispy broken branches for everyone behind, clearing a path through the overgrown leaves overhead. "Be careful."
"Damn it," Mi-Jin curses next to her. "When will we get out of this hellhole? Aish..."
Their conversation dies out in the background as Nam-Ra talks in a low tone to you alone, out of earshot of the others.
"Even though the soldiers saw us alive and well on the rooftop, they left us without help and went so far as to bomb the school." Nam-Ra stares down at the ground, brittle leaves crunching beneath her dirt-covered shoes. "Maybe they want us dead."
You continue walking with your eyes forward. "I don't know if we can put it that way."
"Why not? I think it's because of me."
"Nam-Ra—"
She cuts you off faintly. "They must think we're neither zombies nor humans, having been trapped with the creatures for so long—that we're stuck somewhere in the middle. Though not dangerous at the moment, deep down, it's a ticking time bomb, just as I am."
You turn your head fully to your left and look her in the eyes. "Don't say that. Don't think it either. I can't allow that."
In an even quieter voice, Nam-Ra gazes over the group before expressing, "Is it okay for me to stay with you guys?"
You reach out and grasp her hand, squeezing it. "We're friends, why wouldn't it be? You know that we couldn't have made it this far without you, Prez."
The corners of her mouth curl upwards slightly, but the look in her eyes remain forlorn, guilty. "Am I still those things to you?"
"Of course," you assure with firmness. "You haven't turned and you never will."
She clutches your hand in return. "Let's all gather again later when we have a chance to." This time, her smile comes easy. "We'll be able to do that again, right?"
Your response is cut short when Mi-Jin's outburst jolts the group from their own respective reveries."
"What the hell?!"
Alarmed, Hyo-Ryung addresses Mi-Jin. "Unnie...what's wrong?"
"Shibal. I think we're lost." Mi-Jin shifts her body in all directions, looking about.
"There's no trail?"
"I haven't seen one for the last mile," Mi-Jin admits, ashamed. "It feels like we're going in circles on end."
"Then why the hell did you come all this way if there was no trail?" Dae-Su grumbles, frustrated. "We might end back up at Hyosan at this rate."
Right as Mi-Jin opens her mouth to retort, Joon-Yeong interjects, pointing upward. "Guys, look."
"What is it?" Wu-Jin probes, squinting from the far back, trying to see.
"There's something tied here." Ha-Ri raises an arm out to touch the ribbons suspended from a branch.
"Who did us such a nice favor?" Mi-Jin nearly coos. "Maybe a ginseng digger?"
Dae-Su perks up immediately, whipping his head toward her. "Food?!"
Hyo-Ryung clucks her tongue at him, ignoring his gluttony in favor of following behind Ha-Ri.
"I see another one," Ha-Ri informs, leading the group in pursuit of the trail of evenly scattered ribbons.
By a stroke of luck, the ties do guide you on the right path when a little while later, you all finally reach the outskirts of town.
Dead crows lay in heaps on the ground, a pool of red beneath them.
As the oldest, Ha-Ri and Mi-Jin once again, volunteer to brave it out lead from the front.
"Didn't Mr. Nam tell us to head to Yangdong?" Dae-Su speaks up from the back and you see On-Jo's shoulders tense where she's walking ahead of you.
"What if zombies are there also?" Hyo-Ryung mumbles. "Do you think any are left here still?"
"No way," Su-Hyeok denies. "They probably already evacuated this city with how close it is to Hyosan."
"Yah," Mi-Jin cuts in. "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
"Well, it's a literal ghost town—or zombie town I guess," Joon-Yeong deadpans.
If looks could kill, the one Mi-Jin throws at Joon-Yeong would've ended him. "There's not a single person within radius."
Ha-Ri gazes around hurriedly, scoping out the surroundings. "It's okay here."
"Why? What's okay?"
"There are no broken windows, no splattered blood, and no corpses on the streets. It wouldn't be this clean if the zombies had been rampant."
"You're right—" Mi-Jin begins, but trails off when On-Jo whips her head toward Nam-Ra, who's busy glowering at an open road, unblinking.
"What is it?"
Instead of replying, Nam-Ra shakes her head subtly and swivels around to face the dense fog, inhaling sharply.
"Is there something wrong?" You yank at her sleeve. "Do you sense someone there?"
"Zombies," is all she squeaks out.
On-Jo focuses her gaze on Nam-Ra. If she's frightened, she doesn't show it. "Where?"
Nam-Ra sucks in a breath and shakes her head. "Everywhere..."
"How many nearby? Are there are a lot of them?" Hyo-Ryung's voice comes out in chopped warbles, in fear.
"One, two, three, four, five..." Nam-Ra counts off easily, and you hope she'd stop there, but when did things ever work in your favor? "Six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven...RUN!" The last double-digit number hardly slips past the tip of her tongue when the warning sends everyone fleeing down the adjacent abandoned road, in no set direction.
The skin around Nam-Ra's eye never did return to normal, red veins splitting off around the orbital cavity. Before you can say anything, she tugs you forward by the arm even as you turn to look back at Su-Hyeok staggering along with Wu-Jin to keep Dae-Su upright.
Not long after, all three topple to the ground in a pile, the dark shadows of zombies looming in on them from behind the thick screen of fog.
"AISH!" Dae-Su yelps out in pain as he attempts to throw weight on his non-compromised leg, Su-Hyeok and Wu-Jin taking a hard dive on either side of him.
In haste, you and the girls route back, knowing now that running is futile. The creatures were gaining, and they were gaining fast.
"Take Dae-Su and go," Su-Hyeok directs, but the boy in question instantly springs to his feet, surprisingly adept for the state of his damage.
"Forget it," Dae-Su counters doggedly, hobbling toward a pail of shovels by the side of the street. "We all live together or we all die together."
"What are you doing?" Su-Hyeok berates, trying to push Dae-Su aside to no avail. "I'm giving you an escape."
"And I'm saying we're already trapped." Dae-Su slams his shovel head into the rocky ground. "I don't want to go down without a fight. After everything we did to get to this point."
Similarly, the group follows in his footsteps, swiftly raiding the uninhibited shop stalls for anything remotely useable as a weapon.
"Fuck," Mi-Jin cusses, narrowing her hold on her shovel's handle. "Why does this seem like it's the end?"
"I don't see it," Joon-Yeong retorts, and you'd be thankful for the optimism if he wasn't so literal about what he means. "I really can't see anything actually. Not without my glasses."
Mi-Jin scowls at him. "Get your shit together! Squint if you have to!"
"That's not how that works—"
"Just focus your eyes, goddammit."
Ignoring them both, Wu-Jin turns to Ha-Ri and stands in front of her protectively. "Noona, stay behind me."
In the same manner, she draws him back behind her. "You stay behind me."
The growling and uneven pounding footsteps grow louder as they near, and once the zombies charge, mangled faces clearly visible, it's every one for themselves.
Su-Hyeok's only able to hold back a few at the front before the ones by the side spring onto Dae-Su, knocking him back.
With his one poor leg, it throws him off balance, but fortunately by brute strength and great reflexes alone, Dae-Su rotates his shovel sideways, shunting at the zombie's throat column, effectively hindering it even as it thrashes atop him.
Though her shovel is nearly as big as her, On-Jo manages to swing in time with all her might, smacking a zombie clear across the side of its head away from Wu-Jin.
A little farther off, Ha-Ri and Mi-Jin are aiding Joon-Yeong who has fallen onto his back, trying to fend off any incoming zombies as best he can from the disadvantageous position.
You hear successive sounds of bones snapping as Nam-Ra cracks heads open untiredly, and couldn't be more relieved to have her superhuman strength on your side.
While trying to hold down your own fort, you observe as On-Jo has a close call out of the corner of your eye. Fortunately, she uses metal barricades in the nick of time to bar one zombie lunging at her, its arms effectively cuffed, stuck between the posts.
You dodge another zombie rushing toward you, and make it over in time to see Dae-Su hurl off the one that was on him all this time. The reprieve is short-lived, however, as another crawls on him. In the next moment, you dash forward and slice its head clear off, swinging your shovel at an angle, unforgivingly.
Blood sprays on Dae-Su's face, but he thanks you briefly for saving his life. With him visibly wearied and no longer in any condition to fight, you help him to his feet with a last spurt of strength, letting him limp to the inside of an exposed stall, where he surrounds himself with knives.
Looking back outside after guaranteeing that Dae-Su's in no imminent danger any longer, you catch sight of Su-Hyeok being tackled by a zombie as he keeps it at bay, stabbing and twisting the shovel into its neck. Despite that, the zombie continues to flail, stubborn as ever.
"Here!" Dae-Su hands you a butcher knife the size of your head and you take it without hesitation, setting a course straight toward Su-Hyeok, who now has his teeth clenched, arms shaking from exertion.
The sheer amount of blood that pours out should've made you queasy, but you're not fazed, chopping straight down through the zombie's skull, severing head from body with the shovel in your other hand. You kick it away, its pate rolling on down the street, streaking it with a trail of blood.
Su-Hyeok grips your hand and hoists himself up, resuming in his help of Dae-Su when he sees more zombies approaching the stands. He casts one last lingering look back at you and you both nod to one another before going in opposite directions.
You and Ha-Ri stand back-to-back as her shovel gets knocked away from her. Now weaponless, you hand over the butcher knife Dae-Su gave you earlier to Ha-Ri and tighten your grip on your trusty shovel.
Preoccupied, neither you nor Ha-Ri notice a zombie surging forward until Wu-Jin's voice has you both turning your heads in his direction.
"Noona! Y/N!"
Your eyes widen as you spot the zombie behind his back, hands clamping down onto his shoulder, prepared to bite.
"NO!" Ha-Ri shrieks and you shut your eyes, not wanting to witness the scene.
Not feeling Ha-Ri's presence behind you anymore, you swallow down the rising bile in your throat and force yourself to reopen your eyes.
Ha-Ri is stooped down by Wu-Jin sprawled on the floor, blocking him from view.
The silence stretches on agonizingly until a broken snarl makes you look up from the ground.
Hoisted up in the air is the zombie from earlier; the one who tried to maul Wu-Jin. Nam-Ra has it in a chokehold, dangling it off the ground easily.
All the air rushes out from your lungs at once, knowing with certainty no one else has to make a sacrifice.
"Thank you," Wu-Jin croaks out, still in shock.
"No need to return the favor," Nam-Ra moves her gaze from a thankful Wu-Jin to an even more thankful Ha-Ri, easily crushing the zombie's windpipe and launching it away.
Threat eliminated, the group reconvenes, turning to Nam-Ra for directions. "More are coming." She glances around, gauging, pointing down the remaining road. "Let's go that way."
"Are you sure?" Mi-Jin asks.
Nam-Ra nods. "There aren't any more zombies there. If we run now, we can all make it with enough time."
Su-Hyeok and Wu-Jin go back to flanking Dae-Su on either side, with On-Jo and Hyo-Ryung in the middle and Ha-Ri, Mi-Jin and Joon-Yeong bringing up the rear.
Nam-Ra lags behind, a little unsteady on her feet. You decide to stay with her, barely keeping pace as she sprints down an alleyway in the reverse course decided upon earlier.
"Nam-Ra...?"
"Go."
"When have I ever listened to that?" You advance falteringly when she doesn't refuse, and see her sinking her teeth into the back of her own hand as she beats her head against the bricked wall.
"You should," Nam-Ra finally gets out, on the verge of crying.
"I'm not parting with you here." You pull her hand away from her mouth, her pale skin now imprinted with deep teeth marks on its surface.
"Then I will."
"Nam-Ra!" You yell after her as she turns and dashes away, deeper into the long alleyway. It's easy to lose sight of her when you don't know where she's headed with the lack of heightened senses to match.
Trying your chances, you make a final right turn into a wider opening of what appears to be a neighborhood, and see Nam-Ra feasting from a dead zombie cadaver long since stiff from rigor mortis.
With no second thoughts, you go to her, vaguely aware of Su-Hyeok and On-Jo calling after you.
"Stop," you beg, wrenching Nam-Ra away. She brushes you aside effortlessly and spits out the chunk of flesh from her mouth into the palm of her hand. "Why are you here just to suffer alone?"
Nam-Ra hangs her head, hair readily blanketing her face. "Please, stay away. For your sake, please listen to me."
"Come back with us, won't you?" You inch closer, unafraid.
"Why won't you stay away?!" Nam-Ra jerks her arm back as she shouts piercingly, flinging you to the ground.
Your back thumps onto the rough, rocky asphalt, and the sting of it hurts like hell.
But, the pain doesn't compare to Nam-Ra's reaction.
Nothing could prepare you for what happens next.
Nam-Ra jumps on you, her face bloodstained and wild hair cascading down in your field of vision.
"Nam-Ra..." you gag out, trying to hold her back by the shoulders.
"Nam-Ra! Come back to your senses!" Su-Hyeok leaps forward, wanting to pry her off, though it's useless.
"It's me..." you plead, writhing from your back scratching against gravel as you're pinned down.
"Don't do this, Nam-Ra..." On-Jo tugs at Nam-Ra's shoulders, who shoves back her, sending her sprawling.
"Choi Nam-Ra!" Su-Hyeok wields a shovel up high, prepared to swing down from overhead. You look up at him and shake your head, tears streaming down your face.
"I'm immune. You can bite me." Your eyes flutter shut in weak acceptance even as you hear Su-Hyeok demandingly persuading Nam-Ra otherwise. Nam-Ra is crying, On-Jo is crying, and so are you. "I won't blame you, Nam-Ra. We're friends after all."
With a final scream mixed with a distressing sob, Nam-Ra's weight is no longer on you and you open your eyes to see her leaving, setting on a clear path zig-zaggedly into the dense fog down the road, form fading away.
The zombies that emerged earlier from its depths seems like a much less worthy exchange for Nam-Ra.
She doesn't belong with them.
"Nam-Ra!" You're about to go after her, but Su-Hyeok prevents you.
"I can't lose you," he utters as he frames your face in both hands, scared out of his mind.
"But—"
"I think we have to let Nam-Ra go," On-Jo undertones in sorrow, crying silently. "Just temporarily."
"Are you okay?" Su-Hyeok brushes his thumbs across your cheeks, and you throw yourself into his arms, burying your tears into his chest.
"No," you admit. "I don't know if I ever will be. Not after all of this."
»»————-————-««
Is this survival?
Is this salvation?
Is this a happy ending?
You don't think it is; not at all.
Not when your first welcome back to a semblance of society in this rescue shelter is anything but free, your every word and move scrutinized, your friends interrogated in succession.
Did you even deserve to be here? Alive and well?
You barely have half a mind to register your leg shaking, feet repeatedly bouncing off the floor until Su-Hyeok rests a hand on your knee. Instantaneously, your leg stops moving and you glance up at him.
Though appearing drained, only warmth and comfort radiates off of him. He nods at you imperceptibly, reaching for your hand in your lap as he goes back to staring through the glass partition in front, listening carefully in on the robotic conversation taking place.
You fixate on the lone female military personnel sitting within a locked room. With her hands clasped together, she leans forward slightly, eyeing Ha-Ri. "Were you familiar with the teacher, Mr. Lee Byeong-Chan?"
Ha-Ri shoves her hands in her varsity jacket and rests against the flimsy chair's backrest. "No, I can't say that I was," she replies formally. "My schedule consisted of strictly morning classes due to archery training. He was never my teacher at any point."
Not entirely satisfied, Mi-Jin gets beckoned up next. You smile slightly at the odd look the lady throws Mi-Jin for the way she sits, totally out of place and not at all respectful. But what was there to respect from people who willingly deserted survivors? "And what about you? Have you ever once heard, or seen, Mr. Lee act strangely and out of character?"
"Odd or not, that doesn't concern me." Mi-Jin pushes her head closer to the panel, the lady withdrawing, wary eyebrows raised. "Are you going to take responsibility for my future? I'm a zombie-infested high school dropout at the moment."
If the woman was expecting something better from Hyo-Ryung, she most definitely doesn't receive it, the girl still wholly traumatized and out of it. Neither Joon-Yeong nor Wu-Jin are willing to provide answers either, so she lets them be, aware of the three most tight-lipped.
"Should there be anything you'd like to say, please do so."
"Lady," Dae-Su begins, drawing out a sour expression from his interviewer, her lips pursing together. "How many times do I have to tell you? Mr.Lee kidnapped a student from our class named Hyeon-Ju, and the rest...I'd rather not relive."
Su-Hyeok drops your hand and pats it tenderly once he's called up.
"It's in my knowledge that Mr.Lee gave Kim Hyeon-Ju some sort of injection, and you were present in the aftermath of it."
Instead of answering her, Su-Hyeok fires back a question of his own, stumping her. "I heard you were originally going to rescue us, but changed your mind in the end. Why did you abandon us?" He looks at her resentfully. "You abandoned us and let us down," he states this time, standing up and going back to his seat before she allows it.
On-Jo looks so lifeless walking up for her turn, your heart breaks for her losses.
"Haksaeng, if you cooperate with us—"
"I decline," she rejects decisively, deeming the lady undeserving of her eye contact. "We've asked you before for reasonable favors—life or death matters—and were turned down heartlessly. I'll repay it in the same way. So, don't ask for me to save your loved ones when you couldn't save ours." On-Jo turns her down and spurns her all in the span of less than a minute.
Now, that only left you.
You eye the woman through the glass, your cold hands laced together in your lap, feeling every bit like a caged bird.
"Will you also slight us like your friend did?"
You let out a low humorless laugh, bordering on distaste. "I'm very good at refusing what I think is unworthy."
"A cure is unworthy?"
You falter marginally, sarcastic smile slipping. "What makes you think it's possible?"
"The answer is antibodies. We're holding onto the hope of that being the resolution; the end all."
"And where would you go about procuring antibodies? By artificially creating it?" you mock.
"All of your friends' lab results came back, including yours, and only one of you has the complete antibodies we're looking for." She tilts her head at you, hinting.
You curl your fingers into your palm tightly, angry. "So, you're going to what?" you spit out. "Use me for your benefit? After all you put us through?"
"Are you sure you won't regret this opportunity?"
"Give me one good reason as to why I should."
"For those that are half-turned, or even affected but asymptomatic, there's the possibility—a slim chance—of revival."
You suck in a breath through your teeth, heart feeling like it has long since stopped in your chest, voice tapering off. "You're saying..."
"I'm saying they may revert back to human."
Swiveling around in your seat, you lock eyes with Su-Hyeok, who makes to spring up out of his chair, but the soldier glaring him down takes one step forward in threat. His eyes waver as he relents, trying to decipher your expression.
Staring a second more, you take a depth breath before turning back around.
"So, what will it be? Do you accept or decline?"
You follow your heart this time, always having been one to follow your brain, and make your decision.
*✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ
[ End Note ]
This is the second to last chapter and the epilogue will be posted tomorrow! These final posts will be leading up to a sneak peek of S2 waiting at the very end...
Until the next chapter, don't be a silent reader! Comments and votes are always appreciated! ♡
*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ