BOW Chapter 5 (Part 2)
by BrieThe tinted windows shuddered under the impacts. The sight of mutants attacking without restraint made Jiyeon tremble uncontrollably, until Suhyeong placed his hand over Jiyeon’s. The warmth through their skin helped him release the breath he had been holding.
“What! What was that supposed to do?!”
Joohee shouted in frustration. They reacted to the voice, yet nothing had changed.
They were utterly fucked.
Thump thump thump thump thump!
“Kraaaagh!”
“What do we do?! At this rate the windows are going to break!”
Seeing cracks form in the glass, Sunghwa squeezed her eyes shut. Jiyeon gripped Suhyeong’s hand tightly, trying desperately to stay calm. And then…
Wheeeeiiiiing…!
A loud, mechanical noise erupted from somewhere nearby. It sounded like the engine of a farming tractor.
“What is that?!”
“Ah! Maybe they’re trying to lure the mutants away with the noise!”
Just as Jiyeon said, the mutants began running toward the direction of the sound. But many still surrounded the car. Growing impatient, Joohee gripped her weapon and shifted as if ready to bolt.
“Should we just get out and beat them?!”
“Calm down, Joohee. There are still too many… wait! Look over there!”
Sunghwa, in the middle of scolding her, suddenly pointed. At the end of her finger stood the Yuseong Soft building.
Like a lie, lights began turning on in its windows one by one. In moments, the entire building was illuminated, becoming the city’s “lighthouse” once again. The tractor-like noise had been the emergency generator activating.
“Kraaaagh!”
“Kyak!”
In a city with not a single streetlight working, the lit building shone brighter than anything. The remaining mutants around the car followed the light, moving toward Yuseong Soft.
“Run! Hurry and get out of there!”
The voice rang out again. Only then did Jiyeon realize the voice came from someone inside the building.
“Now. Get out now!”
Suhyeong shouted urgently. With the mutants distracted, this was their only chance. Everyone scrambled out of the car.
“Assistant Kim, get on my back!”
“S-sorry……”
“Don’t apologize, just hurry!”
Not forgetting the injured Kim Hyungseok, Suhyeong lifted him onto his back and sprinted toward the alley. The few mutants who didn’t chase the light were taken down by Jiyeon and the other two. In a moment like this, guilt and disgust didn’t matter. They smashed and stabbed whatever stood in their way and ran with the darkness behind them and the light at their backs.
“Hah… Did everyone make it out?”
Once they reached the alley, Suhyeong checked for stragglers, panting heavily. The light that had briefly illuminated the city had already gone out.
“I really thought we were going to die this time.”
Exhausted to the core, Jiyeon collapsed to the ground the moment he stepped out of the alley. He had no clue how they managed to escape. They just ran blindly, killing every mutant in their path.
Suhyeong helped the fallen Jiyeon upright, letting him lean against him. Familiar warmth and scent wrapped around him, and Jiyeon finally exhaled a deep breath of relief. In a weary voice, he muttered,
“Team leader… I don’t have the strength to move anymore.”
He meant it. Speaking at all drained what little energy he had left. They had walked all day, been surrounded by mutants, and escaped by the skin of their teeth. Pure willpower had carried him until now.
“Same here. If I have to smash another mutant’s head, I’m going to throw up.”
With a face so pale it was almost blue, Joohee took deep breaths. She had killed five mutants on her own. It didn’t sound like much, but for someone who had spent her life at a desk staring at a monitor and tapping a keyboard, it was enormous. Sunghwa, looking equally drained, added,
“I don’t think we can keep going. Assistant Kim’s condition is bad too.”
“Ah… right. Assistant Kim. Are you okay?”
Startled, having forgotten about his injury, Jiyeon turned to look at Hyungseok. Still on Suhyeong’s back, he stood there awkwardly.
“Ah, yes. I scraped my ankle on some broken car parts while we were running.”
“Let me see. Oh my god…”
Seeing the wound, Joohee grimaced and cursed. A long, deep gash cut across his ankle, and the blood running down had soaked through his sock and shoe. No wonder he had told them to leave him.
“We should go inside here.”
Spotting a small café right beside the alley, Suhyeong swung his golf club hard at the wooden door handle. With a crack, it snapped clean off.
Inside, the café was small, but the interior was decorated with stylish vintage elements popular on social media.
“Hold on. I grabbed some first-aid supplies from the office break room.”
After laying Kim Hyungseok down on the white sofa, Jiyeon pulled bandages, disinfectant, and a bottle of Tylenol from the backpack Suhyeong had been carrying.
“I think we should at least give him some basic first aid with this.”
“Ugh.”
He first wiped away all the blood covering Hyungseok’s foot with wet wipes. Even that made Hyungseok’s body flinch slightly from the pain.
“Does it hurt?”
“N-no. It’s fine.”
Hyungseok shook his head with an awkward smile. But the moment Jiyeon applied disinfectant to the wound, his face twisted violently and an unusually loud scream burst out of someone normally so quiet.
“Aaagh! Assistant Hong, it hurts so much. Hhhk.”
“Ah, sorry! I’m really bad at stuff like this……”
“Assistant Hong. Give it to me. I’ll do it.”
Unable to watch Jiyeon pour the disinfectant like he didn’t know whether he was applying it or spilling it, Jang Joohee spoke up.
“Please do.”
Looking embarrassed, Jiyeon handed her the disinfectant.
“Ha……”
Now free from the task, Jiyeon slumped onto the sofa opposite and let out a long sigh.
“By the way… the person who helped us, that was a survivor inside Yuseong Soft, right?”
Looking around the café, Choi Sunghwa spoke in a hollow voice. Jiyeon gave a faint smile and nodded.
“Yes. It looked like they saw us trapped inside the car.”
“Will they be alright? What if we put them in danger for nothing……”
Worried for the nameless stranger who helped them, Sunghwa brushed a hand over her face. Then she pressed both hands together and closed her eyes. She didn’t follow any particular religion, but all she could do for the Yuseong Soft survivor who risked themselves for others was pray that they stayed safe.
“We’re all tired, but let’s try not to sleep. If we can, we should hold out until morning. Ah, Assistant Kim, you should rest. You’re the patient.”
Drinking sparkling water from the café fridge, Suhyeong addressed the group. Unlike the supermarket or the motel, this place could be attacked by mutants at any time. In fact, the distant sounds of mutants felt like auditory hallucinations.
“Do you think we can really get out of this alive……?”
Jiyeon looked up anxiously at Suhyeong as he handed him a bottle of sparkling water. Realizing that something like today could happen at any moment, Jiyeon was still terrified. Suhyeong looked at him quietly, then gave a faint smile and sat beside him.
“I survived the Black Zone too. So why wouldn’t we now?”
“……”
Jiyeon nodded slightly. But the words didn’t seem to comfort him; he let out a long sigh and lowered his face to the table. Sitting beside him, Suhyeong abruptly took his hand. Jiyeon had definitely told him not to touch him, but that warning had long since become meaningless.
Right now, Jiyeon needed something to calm him, and that something was Suhyeong’s warmth. So he didn’t pull his hand away.
“You’ve got blood on your hand.”
Suhyeong pulled out a fresh wet wipe and wiped the blood from Jiyeon’s hand. As Jiyeon quietly watched him, his gaze drifted to Suhyeong’s hand. For someone with such a pretty face, his hands were rough and worn. The knuckles jutted out, and the back of his hand bore a large scar. He hadn’t noticed before in all the chaos. It must have been the Black Zone that made his hands like that.
“How did you get out of there? The Black Zone, I mean.”
Cautiously watching his expression, Jiyeon asked. Fiddling with Jiyeon’s hand with clear affection, Suhyeong paused and let out a heavy hum.
“If it’s difficult, you don’t have to say.”
“No. It’s not that. It’s just… it was a long time ago.”
“……”
“I just got lucky.”
With an awkward smile that didn’t suit him, he gave a vague answer. He said it wasn’t difficult to talk about, but clearly it was.
“I’m sorry.”
“Assistant Hong has a lot to be sorry for, huh.”
Jiyeon apologized, feeling like he had touched on something uncomfortable. Suhyeong chuckled softly. But Jiyeon met his eyes with a serious expression.
“This time… we’ll be lucky too.”
At those words, Suhyeong’s eyes widened, then he broke into a bright smile. A smile like moonlight shattered into tiny pieces and glowing softly around them.
“Yeah. With you here saying that, I really do think I’m lucky.”
Hearing that, Jiyeon swallowed hard and quickly looked away.
“You’re all I have now, Jiyeonie. I’m lucky to have you. If I didn’t have you, I’d already be dead.”
His mother used to say similar things. But her words had always burdened him. They felt less like appreciation and more like pressure, not to disappoint, not to fail. And the fear that without him, something awful would actually happen to her had been a huge emotional weight.
But Suhyeong’s words… they were similar and yet completely different. Unlike his mother, who had tried to use him to mend her own wounds caused by his father, Suhyeong looked genuinely saved by Jiyeon. And that moved him deeply.
“Ugh… cold.”
Jiyeon, who had dozed off on the café sofa, woke shivering from the cold. With no heating, the chill seeped through his clothes. His long padded coat had long since lost its stuffing and was torn in several places, basically rags now. He definitely needed to change into something else.
“Wonder if any mutants were wearing something expensive.”
Muttering the joke while remembering how Suhyeong had stripped a mutant’s coat earlier, Jiyeon stood up. Moving around would warm him faster than sitting still in this freezing café where even a small breath came out as steam.
Then he noticed everyone except Kim Hyungseok huddled together at the table in the back.
“Ah! I lost everything!”
Joohee wailed, throwing something from her hand. Startled, Jiyeon walked over to the table where the three were sitting.
“Joohee. Life is all about one big move.”
Sitting right beside Joohee, Choi Sunghwa spoke in a tone that suggested she was actually having fun. Across from her, Suhyeong stared seriously at the middle of the table. Wondering what they were doing, Jiyeon looked down at the table. Spread open was Blue Marble, the undeniable classic and undisputed king of board games. The game piece that seemed to belong to Suhyeong was sitting on the deserted island space.
“Oh? Assistant Hong! Do you want to play too? We found it on the shelf in the back of the café. There were a ton of board games.”
Noticing Jiyeon approach, Joohee immediately brightened and called out cheerfully.
“Here, sit here.”
Suhyeong even pulled out the chair beside him, inviting Jiyeon to sit. Caught off guard by the unexpected board game, Jiyeon sat down with a dazed expression.
“I figured it’s better to spend time playing a game than just sitting around staring at nothing. Here, Assistant Hong, take the dice.”
With Sunghwa joining in, Jiyeon was ushered into the game. Honestly, he felt tired and wasn’t really in the mood, but doing nothing was worse, so he accepted the dice without complaint.
The game started abruptly and haphazardly, but it definitely helped lighten the heavy, suffocating mood. Jiyeon laughed out loud for the first time since leaving the supermarket. Not just him, everyone looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves. Before long, they were pulling out other board games too, not just Blue Marble. Eating the chocolate and snacks they’d grabbed from the supermarket, they all managed to lift their spirits a little, even if just for the moment.
“Uuugh……”
By the time the dark surroundings had begun to lighten, someone somewhere in the café let out a groaning, pained sound.
“Wait. Did anyone else hear that?”
Jiyeon, who had been the first to notice it, lowered his voice and shifted his eyes anxiously. The others also froze, stopping what they were doing and listening intently.
“Ugh… uuh.”
“W-was that a mutant?”
“It sounds different to me.”
Rising carefully to his feet, Suhyeong narrowed his eyes and looked around. Soon, his gaze drifted toward the sofa where Kim Hyungseok was lying. Jiyeon followed his line of sight.
“Hhhhhh……”
Curled up tightly on the sofa, Hyungseok was pale as a sheet, groaning in pain.
“Assistant Kim! Are you alright?”
“J-Joohee……”
Shocked by his condition, which was clearly not normal, Joohee sprang from her seat and rushed to him. The others put down their cards and hurried over as well.
“Assistant Kim, no, Mr. Kim Hyungseok. Can you hear me?”
Kneeling on one knee in front of the sofa, Suhyeong checked the dilation of his pupils and his general state, then called out to him.
“Hhhk. Y-yes.”
At Suhyeong’s voice, Hyungseok nodded as tears ran down his face.
“Does anything hurt? Are you hungry? Do your joints ache?”
He shook his head weakly. Understanding what Suhyeong was checking for, Jiyeon let out a breath of relief. At least his symptoms didn’t seem related to mutation.
“Let me see the injury.”
Suhyeong pulled up the hem of Hyungseok’s pants. The ankle that Joohee had carefully treated earlier was revealed. Even without touching it, anyone could see how swollen it was.
“Ah… agh! T-team leader! It hurts! It really hurts!”
Even though Suhyeong barely brushed the bandage with his hand, Hyungseok jerked violently, trembling. It was obvious the wound had worsened, and his body was developing fever-like symptoms.
“Try to bear it a little.”
“Aaaagh!”
Pinning his thrashing knee down with his elbow, Suhyeong carefully removed the bandage. The wounded area was now an angry, dark reddish-purple, swelling grotesquely. The wound looked far more severe than expected, and everyone stared with grim expressions. His body was radiating heat.
“If this gets infected, we’re in trouble. Team leader, do we have any… wait, never mind.”
Sunghwa cut herself off. The medical supplies in the backpack had all come from the office break room. There was no way they would include prescription antibiotics.
“Everyone stay here. I’ll go out and look for a pharmacy.”
Judging the situation to be serious, Suhyeong stood. But Jiyeon quickly grabbed him. This was the problem, his tendency to take everything upon himself. In an office, that would make him a reliable, capable leader everyone respected. But this wasn’t the office. And no matter how competent he was, Jiyeon didn’t want him facing danger alone.
“I’ll go with you! I’m good at killing mutants now.”
“……”
Glancing down at Jiyeon’s awkwardly clenched fist, Suhyeong hesitated, then nodded. He picked up the golf club leaning against the corner and stood in front of Jiyeon, checking his clothes. Seeing the ripped, worn-out padded coat, he frowned slightly, zipped it up to Jiyeon’s chin, and murmured,
“We should get you new clothes while we’re out.”
“……”
“I’ll find something nice.”
Knowing full well how he obtained those clothes, Jiyeon still couldn’t help the warmth blooming in his cheeks at his gentle tone.
“Then we’ll be back.”
“Please be careful.”
Joohee said this while looking more worried about Hyungseok on the sofa than the two heading back into a street full of mutants.
“We’ll be quick!”
Waving toward the budding workplace couple worrying behind him and Sunghwa, Jiyeon followed Suhyeong out.
Just past 5 a.m., the city was still shrouded in darkness, exuding an eerie chill. Maybe that’s why it felt even colder. As the icy wind stung his red hands, Jiyeon’s gaze instinctively drifted to Suhyeong’s hand.
“Team leader, your hand is warm……”
“Mm? What did you just say?”
“Huh? I didn’t… wait, I… ah.”
Realizing only after speaking that he had muttered aloud, Jiyeon’s eyes flew open, and he let out a silent scream. Like Pavlov’s dog salivating at the sound of a bell, he had unconsciously thought of Suhyeong’s warmth as the way to thaw his frozen hands.
“What was that? All of a sudden. Are you okay?”
Seeing Jiyeon flustered and unsure what to do, Suhyeong asked with concern.
“A-aren’t your hands really cold? I have a hot pack in my office desk drawer, I should’ve brought it. The cleaning lady gave it to me, she said it lasts twenty hours. Haha.”
“……”
“H-ha… ha. Ha……”
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Jiyeon’s mind tangled itself into nonsense. Watching him with amusement, Suhyeong let out a soft laugh and spoke.
“My hand’s warmer than a hot pack.”
“You…!”
He heard it.
He heard everything!
Having his words thrown back at him and teased like nothing, Jiyeon’s face burned red like a ripe tomato. If he could, he’d smack the back of Suhyeong’s neck and knock him out immediately.
“Here.”
Trying hard not to laugh, Suhyeong held his hand out. Jiyeon pressed his lips together and pretended not to see it. Then Suhyeong sighed dramatically, wearing the most pitiful expression in the world.
“Wow. Look, Jiyeon. My hand’s turning all red now.”
“……”
“It feels like it’s about to freeze off.”
“……”
“Jiyeon. Won’t you hold my hand?”
“Agh! Seriously!”
Unable to withstand the constant pestering and the hand waving beside him, Jiyeon snapped and grabbed Suhyeong’s hand.
“See? Better than a hot pack, right?”
“…Let’s just find the pharmacy.”
Growling intentionally, Jiyeon walked quickly while still holding his hand. For someone claiming his hand was about to fall off from the cold, it was incredibly warm.
The two of them walked together in that strange time of day, neither night nor morning, when the moon and sun seemed to share the sky.
“But why don’t we see a pharmacy? You’d think there’d be at least one.”
“Let’s keep going a little farther. Since hospitals are clustered in that area, there should be pharmacies too.”
At his words, Jiyeon let out a small sigh and nodded. The dark circles under his eyes looked even deeper. They were moving with their bodies kept low, holding their breath to avoid being spotted by mutants. The tension alone was exhausting.
Contrary to their expectation that a pharmacy would appear quickly, the road was lined only with office buildings, convenience stores, and a few restaurants. They walked for ten minutes straight, but still no pharmacy in sight. It really seemed like pharmacies were all concentrated farther uphill where the hospitals were.
“You’re tired, huh.”
Seeing Jiyeon’s pace slowing, Suhyeong asked. Jiyeon hadn’t meant to show it, but apparently it was obvious. After hesitating, he gave a small nod.
“You should’ve just let me go alone.”
“How could I do that? This isn’t a group project anymore.”
Thinking of their college days, how Suhyeong had done almost everything alone in their team assignments, Jiyeon answered firmly. Back then, he’d been a clueless freshman, but not anymore. Even if it was tiring, he wanted to share whatever burdens he could. Especially with someone like Suhyeong, who carried everything alone and didn’t seem to value his own life.
“I’ll try not to be a burden. Let’s do things together as much as we can.”
“……”
“Don’t sacrifice yourself alone. Let’s live together.”
Hearing Jiyeon’s quiet words, Suhyeong’s brows twisted tightly.
“Team leader…? Ah!”
Worried he might have overstepped again, Jiyeon looked up at him. But suddenly, Suhyeong pulled the hand he was holding sharply toward himself. Jiyeon stumbled forward, ending up with his face pressed against Suhyeong’s chest. He blinked, startled. Suhyeong’s heartbeat thundered against his ear.
“I’ve never once thought about wanting to live before.”
“……”
“But when I’m with you, I do.”
His large hand came up to Jiyeon’s cheek. The warm temperature melting into his cold skin made Jiyeon feel heat rise all the way into his chest.
“I want you… to keep saving me.”
The words were more desperate and heartfelt than a love confession. Jiyeon lifted his head and looked up at him. He’d never seen an expression like this on Suhyeong before.
The flushed cheeks tight with nervousness, his eyes flickering helplessly without knowing where to settle, and a heart beating like it wanted to escape his body.
He looked unmistakably like someone pleading for love.
Once again, Jiyeon realized…
This man really does like me.
“I’ll…”
Feeling almost weightless, like floating five centimeters off the ground, swept up in a warm rush, Jiyeon wrapped his arms around him tightly.
“I’ll keep saving you.”
He wasn’t yet sure if what he felt was the same as what Suhyeong felt, but one thing was certain, he wanted to protect him, just as Suhyeong protected him.
“Whew…”
Jiyeon wiped the blood on his hand onto his pants and panted. It was blood from the mutant they’d just killed after it ran at them from inside a convenience store.
“You okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. What about you, team leader?”
“I’m fine too.”
Leaning on his golf club and catching his breath, Suhyeong answered. He said he was fine, but the rise and fall of his chest was huge, he was obviously exhausted. Jiyeon had killed one mutant while he had taken out three, so it made sense he was overworked.
Even though they moved quietly and cautiously, it was impossible not to encounter at least a few mutants wandering the roads. Not many, but any that popped out had to be dealt with quickly and quietly. Still, one good thing came from it, Suhyeong had found Jiyeon a new coat.
“How’s the coat? Does it feel uncomfortable when you move?”
“Not at all. It’s warm and super comfy.”
To show him, Jiyeon swung his arms around. It was a little short in length but thick with padding. Soft and cloud-like, yet surprisingly light. Knowing he’d chosen something that looked good on him made him an actual crazy person, but somehow, that made Jiyeon smile.
It had been about thirty minutes since they left the café to look for a pharmacy. Walking shoulder to shoulder, Suhyeong pointed toward something ahead.
“Jiyeon, over there. A pharmacy.”
“Where? Oh, there really is.”
Spotting the pharmacy about a hundred meters away, Jiyeon let out a long breath of relief. They hadn’t seen any earlier, but now that they were near the hospital cluster, pharmacies appeared all over.
“Seems like things are a mess here too.”
“It would be stranger if they weren’t.”
“That’s true……”
As they walked toward the pharmacy, Jiyeon clicked his tongue at the destroyed buildings. Just like everywhere else, most stores were shattered and broken. Haseong City no longer seemed like a place that could return to its pre-outbreak state. Staring at the ruined streets, a practical worry suddenly began to form in Jiyeon’s mind.
If I get out of here alive… what happens to my job? Am I just unemployed now…?
Haseong Media had been a reputable advertising company, winning major public contests and projects. But with both the city and the company gone, Jiyeon was basically jobless overnight.
He’d built up so many qualifications for this job. He’d even gotten a Photoshop certification hoping it might give him an edge when applying to the planning team. And yet, the tower of effort he’d built collapsed in a single day.
“Team leader, is there… any kind of government compensation for survivors? Aside from the Gray Law?”
“Huh? Compensation? What compensation?”
Feeling suddenly wronged by everything, Jiyeon cautiously brought up the topic. But it seemed Suhyeong didn’t even understand what he meant.
“…Never mind. I said something dumb.”
“If it’s money you’re worried about, I’ll take care of you. I’m rich.”
At his shameless remark, Jiyeon grew flustered and sped up his pace. Then suddenly, he froze. He sensed movement nearby.
“Is there a mutant ahead?”
“N-no.”
Right behind him, Suhyeong reached out and wrapped an arm around Jiyeon’s shoulders protectively. Jiyeon shook his head and whispered very quietly,
“It sounds like… people.”
Instead of the guttural cries of mutants, faint human voices could be heard. The two hid behind a roadside sculpture and listened carefully.
“Fuck. This bastard looks fancy on the outside but doesn’t have shit.”
“Idiot. Don’t grab for wallets. Steal phones or something. Who carries cash these days?”
The crude, bickering voices sounded familiar. Jiyeon cautiously lifted his head to look forward.
“Oh, this one looks like he had money.”
Two men were rummaging through the corpses of mutants whose heads had been crushed, searching for anything valuable. It was completely different from how Suhyeong had killed mutants to get clothes for Jiyeon.
And Jiyeon recognized those faces.
Park Jongseo and Park Myungsik.
They were the unpleasant brothers Jiyeon had met at the motel. Seeing their faces, Jiyeon frowned and whispered quietly to Suhyeong.
“Let’s just go the other way.”
Jiyeon slowly turned around and headed toward the road across from them. There was a pharmacy right in front of them, but going that way meant running into the brothers. That would not lead to anything good. Fortunately, there was another pharmacy on the opposite side of the street, so Suhyeong didn’t object. Leaving the Park brothers busy rummaging through the mutants’ belongings, the two slipped carefully into the pharmacy.
Unlike convenience stores and restaurants that were mostly wrecked, the inside of the pharmacy was untouched. It seemed people hadn’t prioritized pharmacies the way they had places with food and supplies. Honestly, if not for Kim Hyungseok, Jiyeon wouldn’t have thought to come here at all.
“Let’s grab what we need and then…”
Let’s go. Jiyeon couldn’t finish the sentence. The moment they stepped past the counter into the preparation area, a chill ran down his spine.
Schlurp, chomp, schluck.
It sounded like someone was ravenously eating something. Gripping the hammer in his hand, Jiyeon stepped toward the source of the sound. In the dim preparation room, a mutant wearing a white lab coat was crouched on the floor.
“Chomp, schluck, chomp.”
“Ugh…”
The sight before him was so horrific that Jiyeon gagged. The mutant, once presumably a pharmacist, was devouring the organs of a person lying dead on the floor.
“Grrrk… schluck.”
Holding long, sausage-like intestines in both hands, the mutant seemed too absorbed in eating to notice Suhyeong and Jiyeon approaching.
“Stay here. I’ll kill it.”
Patting Jiyeon’s back as he gagged, Suhyeong vaulted over the counter.
“Kraaaagh!”
The mutant finally noticed him, lifting a blood-smeared mouth and lunging forward. But Suhyeong swung his golf club first.
Crack!
The now familiar sound of a skull shattering rang out, and the mutant’s body arced through the air before hitting the ground.
“Guh… gck… gugh…”
“…I’m sorry. We’re just taking some medicine.”
As the dying mutant twitched and whimpered, Jiyeon murmured an apology. He was getting better at killing them, but watching something that was once human die still brought discomfort and guilt.
“I’m sorry. Really, I’m sorry…”
Jiyeon tore open a few black plastic bags from the counter and covered both the mutant’s face and the corpse whose organs had been eaten. Then he walked toward Suhyeong.
“I grabbed antibiotics and fever reducers.”
Suhyeong, who had already found the medicine and put it in the backpack, gave Jiyeon a look asking if there was anything else they needed.
“Hmm…”
Frowning in thought, Jiyeon stepped out of the preparation room. Soon he returned with a product taken from the counter display and handed it to Suhyeong.
“This.”
“Hm? Children’s vitamins?”
“When I was little, I really wanted these, but my mom never bought them. Even when she did, she only let me eat one a day…”
As if resolving years of childhood resentment, Jiyeon grabbed an entire box and shoved it into the backpack. The unexpected choice made Suhyeong burst into laughter.
“Alright. You’re an adult now, so I’ll allow two per day.”
Jiyeon didn’t see what was so funny, yet Suhyeong kept laughing like it was the best thing in the world.
“Why are you laughing? Stop laughing.”
Irritated, Jiyeon jabbed his elbow into Suhyeong’s side. Suhyeong tried to suppress his laughter as he apologized.
“Sorry. You’re just cute. Pfft… sorry. Sorry. Ahaha.”
“……”
He had no idea what was cute about a twenty-nine-year-old grown man. Still, seeing Suhyeong genuinely amused wasn’t unpleasant, and Jiyeon ended up smiling too.
“Alright, we got everything. Let’s head back.”
Finally calming down, Suhyeong held out his hand. Jiyeon looked at him like he couldn’t believe the audacity, but took the hand anyway.
“I’m only holding it because my hands are cold.”
“Sure, sure.”
With a sly answer, Suhyeong walked toward the entrance. Feeling satisfied that their mission was complete, his steps were light. But the moment they stepped out, Jiyeon sensed someone standing right next to the door.
“…Huh?!”
Jiyeon had just started to speak when a heavy thud sounded, and Suhyeong’s body jerked sideways.
“Urgh…”
“Team leader?!”
Panicking, Jiyeon quickly caught him. Then he looked up to see who had struck him.
“Huh? What the… aren’t they the guys from the motel?”
“Oh. Hello there, fancy office worker sir.”
Park Jongseo greeted him with a chilling grin. Jiyeon couldn’t respond.
“If you’ve got good stuff, shouldn’t you share with us too?”
“…!”
Before Jiyeon could react, Park Myungsik swung the blunt weapon in his hand and struck Jiyeon’s head.
Mid-May, that turning point between spring and early summer.
Fresh green leaves sprouted everywhere, filling the world with life. Suhyeong had been born in this season overflowing with vitality. His birthday was May 23. It had been a bright, clear day, perfect weather.
But weather meant nothing to the one whose birthday it was.
“Mom. I want to go into the city.”
It was the morning of his tenth birthday. The meal wasn’t grand, but it had been prepared with care.
“That’s my birthday wish. Please?”
The heavy silence that followed pushed him to speak again. His mother let out a tired sigh.
“There are too many mutants out there. No.”
“But they’re all locked up in the center!”
“Suhyeong. The mutants in the center are ones who turned in the White Zone and were isolated. Mutants from the Black Zone are left outside. It’s dangerous.”
“……”
“Don’t you have any other wish?”
His father joined in, rejecting the request. Young Suhyeong shot to his feet, frustrated.
“But Yeonghyeon goes into the city all the time, and he’s fine!”
Yeonghyeon was a young man who brought back necessities from the city. He was five years older than Suhyeong, and since he had no friends his age, he adored him. Yeonghyeon told him many stories about the world beyond the mountain. Everything sounded magical.
“He said lots of people live safely in big buildings in the city! So why do we have to be stuck up here in the mountains?!”
“Yoon Suhyeong!”
“Why did you give birth to me in a place like this? Why here of all places?!”
He said something he shouldn’t have, out of childish hurt. Young Suhyeong had no idea such words could wound his parents deeply. He just wanted to see the city like Yeonghyeon did.
“Suhyeong. Go to your room.”
“……”
“Think about what you said and come out only after you’ve reflected.”
His mother spoke firmly, eyes glistening. More than anyone, she wanted to show her son the wider world. But he was still young, and the world was still dangerous. They had to be strict for his sake.
Still, autumn would mark ten years, the requirement to move into the White Zone. His parents prayed he could endure just a little longer.
A crushing headache slammed into Suhyeong, the kind that felt like someone was violently shaking his brain inside his skull. No matter how well he moved among mutants, Suhyeong was still just an ordinary office worker. An unexpected attack was something he couldn’t avoid.
“Ugh…”
Fighting through the splitting pain, he forced his eyes open and tried to understand the situation. Someone had ambushed him the moment he stepped out of the pharmacy, striking his head before he could defend himself. He remembered nothing afterward because he had blacked out instantly.
“Jiyeon! Ugh…”
The moment his hazy consciousness returned, Suhyeong called for Jiyeon first. He tried to sit up but couldn’t, the ropes binding his wrists and ankles kept him from moving. His surroundings were dim as well. The damp moldy smell suggested they were in some kind of poorly maintained storage room.
“Jiyeon! Hong Jiyeon!”
With his bound hands, Suhyeong clumsily searched through the darkness.
“Mm….”
He found Jiyeon lying on his side nearby, groaning faintly. Hit on the head just like him, Jiyeon hadn’t yet regained full consciousness.
“Damn it.”
Relieved that Jiyeon was alive, Suhyeong clenched his jaw. They must’ve been dragged here by thieves. Probably those brothers scavenging mutant belongings earlier. He’d seen plenty like them back in the Black Zone, people far more terrifying than mutants because they were driven purely by malicious intent.
It was better not to force Jiyeon awake yet. Since Jiyeon could panic easily, Suhyeong needed to figure out a way out before he regained consciousness. Only then could he reassure him.
Pulling the rope taut between his wrists and ankles, Suhyeong bent forward, reaching down as far as he could. With the ropes stretched tight and touching each other, he began rubbing his wrists sharply from side to side, like sawing through the fibers.