BOW Chapter 4 (Part 3)

Joohee asked carefully. When Suhyeong nodded, she let out a small sigh of relief and murmured, “That’s good.”

“This way.”

Following him around the corner of the motel hallway, they reached the counter. Just as he said, a middle-aged woman, presumably the motel owner, was seated there. She looked to be around Jiyeon’s mother’s age, a little plump, with a warm, friendly impression. It was surprising to see someone still manning the counter in the middle of all this chaos.

“Oh my. Five of you made it? The ones who came earlier were just two.”

Seeing the employees trailing behind Suhyeong, she placed two card keys on the counter. It seemed he had already told her they needed two rooms.

“Someone else came here before us?”

At her mention of “the people who came earlier,” Hyungseok blinked and asked. The owner checked the clock as if recalling the moment, then nodded.

“About thirty minutes ago? They were practically pounding the door down, so I let them in. If you run into them, don’t be startled. They’re not mutants.”

Were they the ones responsible for the traces they’d seen on the way, the ones who made that horrifying pile of mutant corpses? The thought made Jiyeon shiver.

“How do we pay for the rooms…?”

While Jiyeon was lost in thought, Suhyeong, who had taken the card keys, pulled out his wallet. Jiyeon had assumed he’d used all of his money at the supermarket, but apparently not.

“Oh no, forget it.”

As he took out a few fifty-thousand-won bills, the owner made a displeased face and waved her hand.

“No point taking money I can’t even use. If you’ve got food, give me that instead. It’s always good to have more food. If not, then never mind.”

At her words, Suhyeong looked back at the group as if asking what they wanted to do. If she had asked for money, they would’ve gladly paid, but food was their most valuable survival resource. He couldn’t decide alone.

“I can give her two packets of ramen.”

Sunghwa pulled two ramen packets from her backpack. No one objected; that much they could spare.

“If this is okay, please take it.”

“Ah, thank you. Thanks to you, I’ll live a few more days.”

The motel owner accepted the ramen brightly. Seeing she had no intention of leaving this place, Jiyeon felt awkward and asked,

“You’re staying here?”

“This motel is my entire life’s savings. Where else would I go? My late husband built it with the retirement money he got when he finished work. If he were alive, we’d figure something out together, but he got bitten. He’s probably out there somewhere, groaning around. I can’t abandon this place, not when I’d feel too guilty leaving it behind.”

“Oh…”

“Well, that’s enough talk. What good does it do? Those keys are for the third-floor rooms. Go on up.”

Even though she spoke cheerfully, the redness in her eyes betrayed her emotion. She waved dismissively to end the conversation. Feeling sorry for bringing up painful memories, Jiyeon bowed his head deeply and walked toward the stairs.

The rooms given to them were 301 and 302. The men would take 301 and the women 302.

“Let’s rest for a bit, then meet up later to eat.”

“Okay. Rest well.”

After bidding the women good night, Jiyeon entered the men’s room. As Joohee had expected, the room was in excellent condition. The large motel-style bed taking up more than half the room looked clean, and the overall décor was cozy and tidy. It felt like incredible luck to be staying somewhere like this in exchange for just two packets of ramen.

“Whew…”

Jiyeon flopped onto the bed in a starfish position the moment he entered and stared at the ceiling with a long sigh. He felt proud that his suggestion had been the right choice, but at the same time, he felt a bitter heaviness thinking about the motel owner who stayed behind because she couldn’t abandon the building. Only now did he truly realize there were people in Haseong City who couldn’t simply choose to escape.

“Why the gloomy face? Disappointed we’re not sharing a room alone?”

“What are you talking about? Of course not.”

Seeing Jiyeon visibly troubled, Suhyeong teased him on purpose. Jiyeon shot upright irritably. Suhyeong reached out and gently touched the rim of Jiyeon’s ear. The strange sensation made Jiyeon flinch and let out a soft sound.

“Uh…”

“Really? I’m disappointed, though.”

His hand slid from Jiyeon’s ear down toward the nape of his neck. Jiyeon knew he should push him away, but for some reason he couldn’t move. The look in Suhyeong’s eyes pinned him in place like a predator locking onto prey.

“……”

“……”

Just as Suhyeong, leaning down, was about to close the distance between their faces…

“Hey! The water runs in the bathroom!”

“…!”

Hyungseok, who had gone to check the bathroom, stuck his head out and yelled. Jiyeon, whose heart nearly burst out of his chest, shoved Suhyeong away and sprang to his feet.

“It’s not exactly hot water, but it’s warm enough to wash! Uh… what are you two doing?”

“N-nothing. Ha ha.”

The odd atmosphere lingering between them made Hyungseok stare strangely. Awkwardly laughing, Jiyeon grabbed him by the arm and hurried into the bathroom. His stiff, jerky movements, like a malfunctioning robot, made Suhyeong burst out laughing.

Feeling Suhyeong’s gaze on his back, Jiyeon touched his lips without thinking.

I almost kissed him again…

Remembering the warmth of Suhyeong’s breath and scent when they’d been close a moment ago, his face flushed hot. If Hyungseok hadn’t interrupted, Jiyeon doubted he would have had the willpower to push him away.

“Assistant manager, what are you doing out here?”

He had stepped into the hallway to cool down the heat in his face when the door to room 302 opened and Joohee emerged.

“Oh… just needed some air. What about you, Joohee?”

“I’m going for a smoke. Sunghwa’s inside, so I came out. Haha.”

She shrugged awkwardly. That’s right, she was a smoker.

“Where are you going to smoke? It might be dangerous outside.”

“The rooftop.”

“Do you want me to go with you?”

“What, seriously? I’d be grateful if you did.”

Even indoors, she seemed uneasy about wandering alone, so she accepted immediately. Jiyeon gave a faint smile and headed toward the stairs first.

“It’s because of my uncle. He turned into a mutant.”

“…?”

“Her job was at the Mutant Center. She got hurt there.”

They climbed the stairs in silence when Joohee suddenly spoke from behind.

“So when I was little, my mom, my aunt, and I visited the Black Zone to see him.”

“……”

“I think I was in elementary school? Anyway, I was young. I never understood why they kept requesting visitation just to see my uncle like that. You only get ten minutes through a CCTV screen.”

Her tone sounded casual, but her voice carried a deep bitterness.

“But when I saw the motel owner earlier… it finally made sense. My aunt was probably the same. They just wanted to be together in any way they could.”

The subject was too heavy for the usually bright, cheerful Joohee. Jiyeon couldn’t say anything. His mind drifted back to the elderly couple he’d seen before leaving the supermarket, the ones who stayed together even in death. Loving someone, he realized, was a much heavier feeling than he wanted to believe.

Then for a moment, he remembered Suhyeong throwing himself in harm’s way to protect him. But Jiyeon couldn’t return that kind of devotion. He couldn’t die with him like the old couple. He couldn’t stay near him even if he turned into a mutant like the motel owner had with her husband.

If Suhyeong liked him, then he needed to survive. All the way to the end.

“Sorry. This got kind of depressing, huh? I just… remembered my uncle.”

By then they had reached the top floor. With a slightly embarrassed laugh, Joohee pushed open the rooftop door. Cold winter wind rushed out, contradicted by the warm winter sunlight shining down on them.

“Wait, Joohee!”

Jiyeon stopped her just in time, he had seen footprints on the rooftop floor. The moment he pulled her back, something sharp sliced through the air right past her cheek. Had it been even slightly off, it would have gone straight into her face.

Heart pounding, Jiyeon looked toward the direction the object had come from. Two unfamiliar men stood there. They appeared to be in their mid-to-late thirties, both wearing work clothes, manual laborers, perhaps. These must have been the “two people who came earlier” the motel owner mentioned.

“Oh. Hey, they’re people.”

“What the hell?! We could’ve died!”

Pale-faced, Joohee yelled at them. The men walked closer.

“Eh, sorry about that. Thought you were some mutant bastards.”

Yet neither man looked remotely sorry. Their casual amusement despite nearly killing someone made Jiyeon’s expression twist bitterly.

“Oh. You office workers?”

“Idiot, do you have to ask? Look at their clothes. Can’t you tell? Dumbass.”

“What? Dumbass? You wanna die, you shithead?”

Right in front of Jiyeon and Joohee, the two men started cursing and bickering with each other.

“What is this…”

Disgusted, Joohee lit her cigarette. By the time it had burned halfway down, one of the men finally spoke again.

“I’m Park Jongseo. This idiot with the broken eyes is Park Myungshik. My brother.”

“……”

Jiyeon looked at him with a sour expression. He had no intention of introducing himself, so he stayed silent. Then Myungshik turned toward Joohee with a sleazy grin.

“And what’s our pretty lady’s name?”

Joohee crushed her cigarette into the snow.

“Joohee, let’s just go. Don’t deal with them.”

“Y-yes.”

She nodded quickly and followed Jiyeon toward the door. He could feel the men’s eyes crawling over her back as they left.

“Agh, damn! What kind of trash was that?!”

As soon as they reached the stairwell, Joohee burst into curses, forgetting Jiyeon was beside her. She was visibly shaken and fuming.

“Keep your room locked until dinner. And call us right away if anything happens.”

“Okay. Thank you for coming with me.”

Now calmer, she gave him an embarrassed smile. Only when she disappeared safely into her room did Jiyeon return to 301.

“Where were you? Only Sunghwa was next door.”

“I went to the rooftop with Joohee for a bit.”

The moment Jiyeon entered, Suhyeong stood up and checked him over, as if he were a child returning from danger. Feeling self-conscious, Jiyeon glanced at Hyungseok. Thankfully, Hyungseok had just finished showering and was focused on drying his hair.

“Nothing happened?”

“Ah… we did meet two guys up there, but… they didn’t seem very pleasant, so we came right back.”

“Good job.”

Suhyeong’s faint smile made Jiyeon blush from unexpected praise. He puffed his lips and changed the subject.

“How much farther is it to Ijin Electronics?”

Suhyeong pointed at the map on the table.

“We’re here.”

“Oh… we didn’t get very far.”

They weren’t even halfway to the destination.

“The snow slowed us down. If the weather is warm tomorrow, some of it will melt, so we might cover more ground. We need to arrive within three days.”

Jiyeon nodded and studied the map carefully, when a loud noise echoed through the room.

Grrrrr…

“……?”

“……”

“……”

Even Hyungseok paused drying his hair. The sound had come from Jiyeon’s stomach. Awkward silence filled the small motel room.

“Jiyeon. Should we…”

Another growl rumbled.

“…eat cup ramen?”

Trying hard not to laugh, Suhyeong suggested it. Jiyeon’s cheeks warmed as he nodded sheepishly. He hadn’t eaten anything since a few jerky pieces in the morning, of course he was starving.

“I’ll go ask the owner if we can borrow a gas burner.”

Hyungseok left the room after finishing his hair. Now only Jiyeon and Suhyeong remained.

“I won’t touch you. Relax.”

“……”

Realizing Jiyeon was on edge, Suhyeong lay down on the bed with a small smile. Sitting in the chair beside him, Jiyeon studied his face. With his eyes closed, he looked exhausted, bored, even.

“Team Leader… what do you want to do once we get out of here?”

“Mm. Nothing comes to mind. Not sure.”

He answered immediately, without much thought. Something about that lack of enthusiasm made Jiyeon uneasy.

“You said before you’d go to the gym with me.”

“Oh. Right, I did.”

“Teach me how to work out. I’ll go with you.”

Back in the office, when they had just escaped the lounge and gone down to the fifth floor, Suhyeong had said that, suggesting they go to the gym together once they escaped the city. Maybe it was a joke about Jiyeon’s terrible stamina, but Jiyeon wanted him to show some will to live.

“And let’s go eat good food. And watch a movie too.”

“……”

At those words, Suhyeong slowly sat up, swinging his legs off the mattress. Because Jiyeon was sitting right beside him, their knees brushed.

“Jiyeon. Do you know what you’re saying right now?”

“…Huh?”

Did I say something wrong?

His stiff expression intimidated Jiyeon enough to make him swallow nervously. It felt just like when Manager Park suddenly said, “Assistant Hong, we need to talk,” while he was working.

“You’re basically…”

As Jiyeon frantically tried to recall what he needed to apologize for, Suhyeong spoke in a slightly trembling voice.

“…asking me out on a date.”

Then his face lit up with a bright, almost boyish glow. The stiff expression had only been from surprise, something unusual for him.

Only then did Jiyeon realize that what he’d said really did sound like a typical date plan. Even though he had no intention of answering Suhyeong’s confession, he had said something extremely misleading.

“Th-then we’ll skip the movie…”

Suyoung smiled with his eyes and nodded at Jiyeon’s small voice. He didn’t know exactly how Jiyeon meant those words, but what mattered was that Jiyeon genuinely wanted them to survive and escape together.

“I brought the burner and pot.”

Just as an odd atmosphere was forming between the two, Hyungseok returned with perfect timing. It seemed he had stopped by the next room on the way, because Joohee and Sunghwa also entered 301 with him.

“We came because we heard you were eating ramen.”

Giggling, Joohee plopped down on the bed. With five adults in one motel room, the space instantly felt full.

Hyungseok set the burner on the floor, poured bottled water into a small pot, and lit the flame. Joohee, sitting in front of it, stared blankly at the heating water and let out a weak laugh.

“This really feels like a company retreat.”

“Joohee, who goes to a retreat at a motel? If such a place exists we should report it to the labor office or the police.”

Sunghwa delivered her remark with a slightly scolding tone. To someone inexperienced, she might sound like she was rebuking Joohee, but there was no ill intent. It was just the natural difference in personality, Joohee cared about mood and sentiment, while Sunghwa valued logic and reality.

“Still, who would’ve thought we’d all be sitting together eating cup ramen like this?”

Looking at Suyoung as she spoke, Sunghwa chuckled. Feeling singled out, Suyoung simply shrugged and poured boiling water into the ramen cups.

“So, Assistant Kim, how did you end up going into design after quitting baseball?”

With three minutes to kill while the ramen cooked, Joohee struck up a conversation with Hyungseok.

“Well… I was told to do rehab using my hands a lot, so I thought about what might work and ended up trying drawing. I found it fun, and I wasn’t bad at it, so one thing led to another and I ended up preparing for art school.”

Flushed from embarrassment at her interest, the usually quiet Hyungseok spoke rapidly. It was the first time anyone had heard him talk this much in one go. Everyone looked surprised to see this new side of him.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone suddenly knocked on the door. Everyone in the room froze and looked toward it. They already knew there were no mutants in the building, and mutants certainly wouldn’t knock politely, but still, tension filled the space.

“I’ll check.”

Suyoung stood up and looked through the peephole. The person outside must have sensed movement, because he spoke again, raising his voice.

“Hey, open the door already!”

At the familiar voice from the rooftop, Joohee grimaced instantly. It was Park Myungshik.

“It’s the guy from the rooftop.”

“Eat while it’s hot. I’ll get rid of him.”

While everyone nervously peeled open their ramen cups, Suyoung opened the door. He intended to tell the man not to come back and send him away quickly.

But the moment the door opened, Myungshik shoved himself through the gap.

“Hey! Are your ears clogged or what? Took you long enough!”

His eyes widened briefly when he realized how many people were inside, but he recovered quickly and pretended to look around casually.

“Damn, you’ve got a lot of food here.”

Seeing the snacks and supplies spilling from the bags, he dropped heavily onto the floor. The room, already cramped, became even tighter. In one hand he held a half-empty whiskey bottle. His eyes were unfocused and his face flushed, it was obvious he was drunk and not in his right mind.

“How about you cook me a ramen too? I was craving some soup to go with my drink. Hey, you, pretty lady over there, make it for me.”

“What a psycho…”

Joohee muttered under her breath. Everyone stared warily at him. Myungshik thumped the whiskey bottle onto the floor and shouted:

“I stole this from that nightclub in the back, damn near broke my back getting it! You should’ve seen how many mutants were there!”

“Please leave.”

Unable to watch any longer, Suyoung grabbed Myungshik’s arm and forced him up. Myungshik wobbled to his feet, then shook off Suyoung’s hand.

“Hey! Don’t be like that. What, you think I’m bitten? Tch. I’m not bitten. I’m not a mutant.”

“I said leave.”

Suyoung grabbed him again and spoke in a cold, steady voice. He didn’t threaten him or curse, but the pressure rolling off him made Myungshik flinch.

“Come on. Get out.”

Jiyeon and Hyungseok also stood and helped push Myungshik toward the door. Frustrated that the situation wasn’t going his way, he scowled and spit out curses.

“Damn it! Survivors should help each other, but you all act like assholes! Tch!”

Finally shoved outside, he spat on the floor. Jiyeon immediately shut the door and locked it.

“He was like that on the rooftop too?”

Suyoung looked at Jiyeon, who nodded and rubbed his exhausted face. The dark circles under his eyes seemed even deeper.

“Ha…”

And the ramen, now overcooked and bloated, sat on the floor. Jiyeon shoveled the udon-like noodles into his mouth without enthusiasm.

“Will you two be alright?”

He asked Joohee and Sunghwa. Even if they were in the next room, he was worried about the two of them alone. Their expressions darkened.

“There won’t… be anything, right?”

“Joohee. Don’t say that. Something could happen. It’s better if there’s at least one male employee with you.”

Suyoung rejected her hopeful thinking with a firm shake of his head. At the same time, Hyungseok looked like he wanted to speak but didn’t know how to bring it up.

“Um…”

He finally spoke after all four had finished their ramen.

“If it’s okay with everyone… should I stay in 302? I can sleep on the floor.”