The jeep stayed under the bridge for the entire night.
Everyone's adrenaline had worn off after their escape from the facility and ended up passing out in the car seats not even twenty minutes after parking where they were now.
Sung-hyo was the first to wake up, the sunlight of the morning shining in her eyes. She winced, using her left hand to shield her eyes. As she managed to open them, she noticed a pair of brown eyes gazing up at her from where the person still lay on her lap.
His wing was also still there too, but Sung-hyo didn't mind. She smiled down at Hyun-su, everything from the night before returning to her.
Hyun-su smiled up at her too. And Sung-hyo knew, at that very moment.
"You remember, don't you?" Sung-hyo asked.
Hyun-su nodded, making Sung-hyo smile even more. Hyun-su slowly sat up, ensuring his wing also didn't accidentally pierce Ji-ji, who was asleep in the driver's seat.
Sung-hyo's arms were around Hyun-su slower than usual, seeing as Sung-hyo was still injured. Still being a human meant dealing with a slow healing. Nevertheless, Hyun-su's human arm embraced her back.
"How's your injury?" Hyun-su asked as they stayed hugging.
"It doesn't hurt much," Sung-hyo answered. "I can handle it."
Hyun-su pulled away, a look of apologies written on his face. "I should've done something. You were shot because we were together."
"I got shot because I tried to knock Ui-myeong down with a slab of wood, which I now realise was a little dumb," Sung-hyo bit the inside of her cheek. "You were pinned under a mirror and trying to heal an impalement he'd just given you. We were both in a situation, and I don't blame you for what happened."
Hyun-su's smile returned, this time filled with relief as he felt Sung-hyo's arms wrap around him again, but this time it was a little tighter, as if she was scared to let him go.
"I thought I lost you," Sung-hyo admitted, her voice muffled slightly due to her face resting against Hyun-su's shoulder. "When we found you... I thought you were dead. I missed you so much."
"I missed you too," Hyun-su replied, close to crying as well. "I thought I'd never see you again. I realized how much you mean to me... and I wanted you with me when I walked into that facility."
"I would've been there in a heartbeat, if I'd had the chance," Sung-hyo exclaimed, now looking right at Hyun-su. She placed her right hand over his left cheek, wiping away some of the soot on his face.
It was then Hyun-su noticed something on that wrist. Taking her wrist in his hand, he brought it down, his suspicion being confirmed. The promise bracelet he'd wanted to give her.
"You kept it..." he let out.
"Why wouldn't I?" Sung-hyo smiled. "I did just go into a burning down research facility to find you."
"Excuse me? Just you?" Ji-ji remarked, who'd now woken up and was giving his sister a look.
"And thank you, Ji-ji, for helping me," Sung-hyo smiled.
However, Hyun-su wasn't smiling like before.
"What's wrong?" Sung-hyo asked.
"They took your locket when they transported me inside," Hyun-su revealed. seeming to be very disappointed in himself for losing such a precious item. "I don't have it anymore."
"About that..." Ji-ji hummed. "One of the rooms I went in, coincidentally, happened to be where all this information about the monsters was kept. There were a bunch of opened drawers and safes... mostly broken open, by the looks of it, with items scattered everywhere, including..."
Ji-ji held up the locket, making Sung-hyo and Hyun-su's eyes light up.
"I have a suspicion that those researchers believed that certain items and people could help monsters remember their human lives," Ji-ji suggested. "And I think compassion might have something to do with it too. Sung-hyo, I think you potentially saved Hyun-su because of how much you loved him."
"What?" Sung-hyo replied as Hyun-su took the locket from Ji-ji, thanking him. "You're saying compassion could be a kind of cure?"
"Maybe," Ji-ji shrgged. "We have evidence, kind of. That's enough to possibly back it up."
"There was a scientist," Hyun-su revealed. "He said they'd already developed a vaccine."
"They had?" Ji-ji asked. "How come they still needed you, then?"
"And why hadn't they given it to everyone yet?" Sung-hyo questioned. "It would've caused less panic."
"Unless there's a limited amount," Ji-ji pointed out, as he turned on the jeep's engine and started to drive down the remainder of the road. "Limited vaccines to a virus like this could make the world panic even more and make everything worse than it already is."
"He said it was gone," Hyun-su nodded. "If anyone else found out about that, people would stop trusting them. They'd be shunned."
"And they'd get attacked too," Sung-hyo sighed. "We got attacked for having a soldier and survivors. Imagine how many would attack them if they discovered the vaccine had been made?"
Ji-ji nodded, "You're right. The world would lose their mind... and more monsters could develop because of that, due to the desire of being vaccinated and ending this nightmare."
Sung-hyo knew everyone in the jeep was wondering the same question she uttered, "So what do we do? Do we go to a safe camp? Stay away from them?"
"We are our camp, Sung-hyo," Ji-ji replied. "The fewer people to protect and worry about, the more we will be able to look after ourselves."
"Is there anywhere we can go?" Hyun-su asked. "Green Home is destroyed, from what I remember."
"Seems we need a new home," Ji-ji sighed.
ᶠYͧoͨᵏu
The group made a pit stop at the first convenience store they found. Anything that was still (relatively) in date, they took and placed in the back of the jeep.
The lake, now frozen, overlooked them. The facility sat on the small island next to the lake, still burning and sending smoke into the sky.
None of the group had any idea where they could go now, as they'd agreed to avoid the military and live on their own. Ji-ji had suggested they travel to another city or the countryside, but with the unknown knowledge of what was outside this city, they couldn't risk leaving the only place they actually knew a little about.
Sung-hyo found a pair of binoculars on the floor nearby to the convenience store. Her curiosity peaked, she picked them up and started fiddling with them, looking at the burning facility through the binoculars.
They had a good range; she'd be keeping these handy.
But then Sung-hyo caught sight of something, making her speak up. "I think I can see someone on the ice."
Ji-ji, who had been putting a box of bottled water into the jeep, walked over to where his sister stood, taking the binoculars from her. He began looking through them in the area Sung-hyo had been looking, quickly spotting the person.
"Is that Yi-kyung?" Ji-ji let out, catching Hyun-su's attention. "It doesn't look like she's doing too well... and it looks like she's moving towards something small. We're too far away for me to figure it out, and going on the ice could be risky... I don't know how thick or thin that ice is."
"I'll go see if she's alright," Hyun-su decided. "I'll come back once I find out what's happened."
Sung-hyo nodded, "Be careful."
The siblings watched Hyun-su begin walking towards where Yi-kyung still lay on the ice. Sung-hyo began watching through the binoculars once he was about halfway there. She saw Yi-kyung slowly moving towards the small... whatever it was.
It was only when Yi-kyung slowly reached out to touch it that Sung-hyo saw the thing's face.
"It's a baby..." Sung-hyo let out, lowering the binoculars.
"What?" Ji-ji replied.
"The thing with Yi-kyung on the ice," SUng-hyo explained. "It's a baby... covered in black goo, by the looks of it."
Sure enough, when Hyun-su began making his way back to the pair, he held a baby in his arms, crying and covered in black goo. Ji-ji was watching Yi-kyung as she walked across the ice, going the opposite way from them.
"It's her daughter," Hyun-su revealed.
Sung-hyo's eyebrows furrowed, "She had a kid? How come they weren't with us at the apartments?"
"I think... I think Yi-kyung was pregnant during our time there..." Hyun-su tried to explain in a way that would make some sense.
Ji-ji figured it out first, "You're saying the baby is..."
Hyun-su nodded.
Sung-hyo then realised, her eyes widening. "Is that why Yi-kyung is abandoning her? Because she gave birth to a supposed monster...?" Everyone stayed silent, making the girl let out a sigh of defeat. She walked over to the jeep, pulling out a blanket and heading over to Hyun-su, where she wrapped the baby in the blanket.
"I don't blame her..." Ji-ji admitted. "The last few hours must've scared her so much."
"I don't blame her either, but it looks like we're now getting unpaid childcare," Sung-hyo replied, wiping some of the goo off the baby's face. "Well, what shall we name you, hmm?"
Everyone was still thinking of a name as they drove through the abandoned city, searching for somewhere to stay for the night. Ji-ji drove, Hyun-su sitting next to him while Sung-hyo sat in the back with the baby, who had now fallen asleep.
"Ah-yi..." Sung-hyo whispered. "I feel she deserves a name like her mother's. What do you think?"
Ji-ji nodded, humming in approval, "I think it suits her well."
Hyun-su nodded too, though that was all he could really muster. He was exhausted still from the last few days.
"Well, welcome to our little team, Ah-yi," Sung-hyo smiled at the sleeping baby in her arms. "Hopefully things will get a little better from now."
______
Mills says!
This was a little rushed... I'll admit.
Also, I'm aware the girl's name is never mentioned in the series. Certain sites are saying her name is Ah-yi, so I'm using it. The name also literally means "child", so I'm not too wrong lol
Anywho, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter... even tho it's slightly rushed...