The group remained in the woods to let the night pass since some of them got a few injuries because of the blast wave. Daesu on his thigh and Suhyeon on her left forearm from gashing herself after she was thrown on the ground. It was an enormous and sharp rock that she cursed at. But it’s not really painful as Daesu’s.
Just minutes later, Suhyeok, Suhyeon, and Namra went back to the woods after On-jo wanted to check the construction site.
They are currently on the go from getting out of the woods while Wujin and Suhyeok were carrying Daesu as he is stumbling to walk because of his injury while the ripped left sleeve from Hyunjae’s uniform is on Suhyeon’s arm, to stop her gash from bleeding.
The anxious man did not leave her side after that. And honestly, Suhyeon is not complaining.
“We intended to hike this very fucking mountain, didn’t we? Last year, wasn’t it?”
Suhyeon heard Hyunjae muffled, a grin appearing on her face. “Yeah,” She answered, “I remember it was Gyeongsu who instigated the plan. He genuinely wanted to do it. Can you imagine, he was very persistent in asking us to go to this mountain.”
“He used to ask us every day that it became so irritating.”
“And we’re finally doing it,” Suhyeon whispered, stealing glimpses at the man beside her.
“But he’s not with us anymore.”
Gyeongsu was a good friend to Hyunjae. They might tease each other a lot, but at some point, his now—dead friend was one of the reasons that made living in Hyosan bearable as it doesn’t seem like a punishment anymore. “But at least we get to do this. Hiking. For the sake of Gyeongsu.” He added, as warm liquid welled up in his russet-coloured eyes.
“As if it was Gyeongsu’s last wish.”
“Gyeongsu’s death wish.”
“How are you feeling right now, Hyunjae?” The man swivelled his head, to glance at the young woman’s reaction standing beside him.
Hyunjae was a bit surprised by Suhyeon’s sudden curiosity. “And I want you to tell me the truth. No more “I’m doing fine’, ‘I’m alright’ bullshit, just the truth. Your truth.” Suhyeon added.
“My parents are shit. We’ve lost a lot of good people and it hurts me, it pains me and I don’t think I’ll be able to move on and forget about it easily. I feel lost, I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and I don’t know where we’ll go. Are we going to live? Will we be alright?” Hyunjae wishes that he had the courage to say it all to Suhyeon.
But there’s a lot of words and he doesn’t want to put more burden and negativity on her shoulder. She doesn’t deserve that.
Hyunjae flashes a forced smile, “I’m tired and hungry. I honestly can’t think of anything else than food and sleep. I want to have a long and good sleep.” He replied as they continued walking with the rest of the group.
Hyunjae didn’t lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. “Hopefully, I’ll get that soon.” He murmured with doubt in his mind.
Hyunjae felt a hand caressing his back, and as expected it was Suhyeon’s. He knew. She knew. They both knew.
He was aware that Suhyeon knows that he wasn’t telling his entire truth and she doesn’t want to be nosy about it. Suhyeon respects his decision a lot and it means the most to Hyunjae.
Then, Hyunjae’s calloused and lean fingers lace with hers as he leans closer til their nose bridge touches making Suhyeon’s cheeks heated up.
“Thank you for asking, Suhyeon, but you don’t have to worry about me. You’ll be the first one to know if I’m unwell.” Hyunjae gently whispered the words in her ears before he lengthens the distance between them and carries on walking along with their friends.
He was thinking of the stunt his parents pulled on him back at the roof. Making him choose between them and his friends. Why can’t they just take all of them? And why did he get to have a parents like them? It was so unfair, Cheongsan would’ve lived if they did.
Hopefully, his parents aren’t dead yet and him and his group will be able to find refuge. Hyunjae can’t wait to interrogate them and it is just one of the things that keeps him to hold on. To ask his parents to make him choose when it is obvious who would he pick.
Suhyeon nods slowly, “Thank you for everything, Jae. For protecting Suhyeok, and the group, and for taking care of me. I know you are not in the best place right now considering how much you have lost yet you continued to fight to keep us alive. Please do not give up yet, not until you get the good sleep that you badly want.” Her eyes sparkled with hope, as her hand quickly caresses his arm before she planted a kiss on the top of his head which completely shocked the young man. He only followed Suhyeon’s back with his gaze as she approaches On-jo and Namra.
Although Suhyeon is very comfortable with skinship, it was the first time for her to do that to him—and her first time to do so but, it’s like Hyunjae needs to know that—since it was usually him that would do such gestures like that.
At first, Kim Hyunjae abhors skinship, but of course, he made an exemption. Because the moment Suhyeon became comfortable with his presence and vice versa, some of their friends would find him initiating a skinship but only with her. To Suhyeon.
And that is how they knew, how deep Hyunjae’s fall was.
Thanks to On-jo’s father who left traces out of the woods, it wasn’t even that long before they finally got out of it.
The town they used to call home is now in ruins. No more vibrant and prying neighbours.
Gone were the people they used to greet as they passed every house either with a glare or a smile.
Their houses. The people they love, and their family. Almost everyone, everything is all gone.
No other sign of living human beings. Only their small group of survivors. The fog. And probably the undead lurking on every corner of Hyosan.
“We’re okay here.” Ha-ri remarked, and then Mijin questions her prior statement, “There are no broken windows or blood on the streets. It wouldn’t be this clean if there had been a zombie rampage.” She explained briefly.
As for Suhyeon. She doesn’t actually buy that logic. There is no way that the virus infiltrated their high school and didn’t reach out to the village.
Considering how it looks right now. Either somebody has killed all the zombies outside the school, or their luck is just too strong for now.
Then again, it comes across like luck was never on their side. But still, he yearns that it was the former.
Suddenly, Namra has a shaken-up look on her face. “Hold on,”
“Namra, what is it?” Asked On-jo.
Poor Daesu howls in pain as Suhyeok withdrew himself from supporting his stance to stride closer to Namra.
“Why? Did you hear something?” Suhyeok concernedly asked.
“Zombies. They are everywhere.”
“A lot... A lot of them?”
“Shouldn’t we be hiding now?” Suhyeon interjected as Namra counted the zombies she could hear.
Hyunjae nods his head in agreement. “I’m sorry, but, are we supposed to wait for them to come before we get the hell out of here and find a safe place to hide?” He irritatingly vented, earning a few stares before he felt something on his left shoulder.
As he looked over, it was Suhyeon’s hand—who is not even meeting his gaze.
Namra gasps, “There’s no need for that, they are already here! Run!”
And so they did. Hell, they were quick to run.
Unfortunately, Daesu fell on his feet in front of a hardware store, and both Wujin and Suhyeok were also pulled to the ground while the others stopped their pace from looking back at the three of them.
It certainly affected their speed. But no one was mad about it. Instead, Suhyeon and Hyunjae who was right behind the trio helped them to get up.
Then, Suhyeok insisted on taking Daesu and leaving him alone. Of course, none of them listened to him and received a smack on the back of his head—courtesy of Suhyeon.
Instead of letting Suhyeok wear his hero hair again, they went for a quick shop on the products displayed outside the store and each of them took a weapon while Hyunjae smashed a medium-sized glass shelf with Wujin’s hammer, possessing pocket and tactical knives after passing the baseball bat he acquired a few days earlier at their school to Suhyeon.
For the nth time, they are fighting for their lives. Striking, hitting and killing the undead with their chosen weapon.
Grunts and groans were heard from both sides, the living and the dead. Horrid blood of the undead splatters everywhere. Their skin, their clothes, the earth, everywhere.
Suhyeon is trapped and has nowhere to go. The zombie has her pinned on a wall and the only thing that keeps it from having her as a meal was the baseball bat in its mouth.
Everyone was fighting each zombie and her strength begins to lessen. And the one thing that she can use to kill it slipped from her grip.
With the commotion they caused, it resulted in more zombies beguile to the chaos as more undead is reaching on on her side of the street while the other side is well taken care of and completely under control because almost all of them were there.
“Um, guys, there’s a lot more on this side!” Suhyeon gave her friends a heads-up with a hoarse voice in panic.
Hyunjae stood in exhaustion, out of breath and gasping for air when he noticed the situation that the lady of his dreams is in.
He pushed his hair back along with the sweat building on his forehead and took a deep sigh, it is now or never. “Hey, Lee Suhyeon, I have liked you for a long time!” He shouted—which definitely caught the attention of one and a few more zombies.
He just knows that his friends will never let him have peace by teasing him nonstop, specially Wujin.
Hyunjae grabbed the zombie against Suhyeon and buried his machete on its head at the same time Suhyeon retrieved her knife from the soil to kill another zombie that is ought to get him.
Lee Suhyeok, who heard the sudden confession of his friend put on a huge smile as he shoved a zombie to the ground before bashing its head with a shovel.
“It’s about damn time,” Wujin pointed out, clearly delighted that his friend has finally got the balls to confess as was Daesu.
Although this wasn’t how they both depicted Hyunjae to let Suhyeon learn about how he felt for her—this was better than nothing. This was not the ideal way, the ideal time, or the ideal place but at some point, it was also promising in a weird manner.
But then, they are in an outbreak, a zombie outbreak. They would all agree that this has been the weirdest shit they have encountered in their whole lives and in the front row compared to Hyunjae’s proclamation of love.
If there was one thing that was a positive outcome of this outbreak, it must be how Hyunjae viewed himself.
Don’t get him wrong, he still feels the same about himself but hearing Suhyeon’s words and watching her every action towards him, made him accept himself.
If another person can appreciate him, who is he to continuously degrade himself?
He isn’t perfect. He will never be and is far from being one, but he is a work in progress and he could never be happier for himself.
And none of those realizations would happen without Suhyeon. Hyunjae will work hard and will do better through her. It doesn’t matter if he gets rejected by her, he will be a man and gladly accept it even if it will bring so much pain to him. As long as he will not have regrets, guilt, or questions in his heart.
All of a sudden, an agonising scream made them turn their heads to where it came from.
It was from Wujin.
Warm and salty liquid forms in her eyes as it falls on her cheeks. Dumbfounded, she watches the same zombie who almost bit her above her younger brother and bitten him on his hand after he made noises to intentionally caught its attention for it to leave her alone.
In pure astonishment at how things happened, Suhyeon pushes the zombie away from Wujin with tearful eyes and commences to whack the baseball bat in its head until it dies and its brains are scattered on the earth. She then takes hold of Hyunjae that seems to be facing a dilemma as it was written on his face.
Then it clicked on Suhyeon.
“Wujin, I am so sorry, but I have to do this.”
Confusion ran over the bitten one’s face before Wujin let out a shrill, ear-piercing scream filled with terror that rang out throughout the entire street as the machete pierced through his bone.
Ha-ri and Daesu sprinted over to Wujin's side, while the others, Suhyeok, Suhyeon, On-jo, Mi-jin, and Hyo-ryung were slaying the zombies to keep it from getting closer.
The youngest of the Lee twins left Namra and Mijin from fighting off the zombies to carefully tear off the hem of Daesu’s sleeves—with his permission—using her knife.
The chunk of clothing was put on Wujin’s mouth to prevent him from making a loud sound while Wujin clutches his remaining hand on his sister’s arm.
It took Hyunjae only three times to finely chop Wujin’s bitten hand. He felt bad and sorry for seeing his friend scream like that. It is rooted in the back of his mind forever. But he did not regret it. He would’ve lost another friend if he didn’t think quickly and been done with it.
Maybe it was selfish of him to think rashly but Hyunjae would rather have a one-handed friend than another dead-turned-into-a-zombie friend.
Ha-ri carefully dressed another cloth on Wujin’s wound after Suhyeon tied the same cloth she ripped from Daesu’s uniform on Wujin’s arm to slow down the flow of his blood. Hyunjae also offered his blazer as an arm sling for Wujin to use.
“You could’ve gotten yourself killed! Don’t you ever do that again!”
Wujin only laughs at his sister’s naggings to notice Daesu’s tearful eyes. “Are that tears for me, Daesu?” He teases while Daesu snorts only as a response along with Hyunjae and Suhyeon.
Suhyeon faintly smiled as she helped Daesu to stand while Ha-ri assisted her brother, “How are you holding up?”
“I’m one hand short, but all things considered, I’m alright. Thank God it was my useless hand, I would’ve been more useless if it was my right hand.” Wujin replies then he looks over at his friend who extended his life, “Hey, Kim Hyunjae, I never thought I’d say this but, thank you for cutting my hand.” Wujin’s eyes flooded with tears, and gratefulness and anxiety clouded his mind although still feeling stinginess and pain on his wound.
Hyunjae knelt on the ground, and showed a woolly smile as a response, unable to let words out of his mouth. He’s too tired. He can feel his body finally give up any second.
•─────⋅☾ 𝔭𝔥𝔬𝔢𝔫𝔶𝔵𝔳𝔦 ☽⋅─────•
wujin can’t die. not on my watch.
sorry for the long wait! as you can see this chapter is hyunjae-focused, apologies for that if you don’t like it. rest assured, you will hear from suhyeon’s side on the epilogue.
i am so close to completing this book i am so happy. i can’t believe epilogue is next!
have a great day ahead!