Destruction — Chapter 27

He’d almost mistaken his own feelings. Worried he had fallen for Woobeom, he loosened his expression as he recalled the man’s sculpted, muscular body.

“I… I just liked his body!”

A statement that could be misunderstood in about ten different ways, but Saejin decided his racing heart came from admiration for that perfect physique. Now that he concluded it wasn’t some strange emotion directed at Woobeom himself, he felt much better.

Yeah, that’s it. The only reason I wanted to tease him while he exercised was because I was jealous of that body…

Of course, of course. Nodding to himself, Saejin got up to get some cold water, unlocking the door he had shut tight. But the moment the door swung open, a large silhouette appeared beyond it.

“…Hyung?”

On his way to the bathroom, Woobeom must have heard Saejin talking to himself in the room. His eyes looked hollow, and a twitch ran through the muscles in his face.

…Why does he look like that?

Maybe he was still misunderstanding what happened earlier? Just as Saejin was about to speak, the words he had shouted inside the room flashed through his mind.

— I… I just liked your body!

He had yelled it loudly before thinking, so it was more than possible that it reached Woobeom’s ears as he passed by. Realizing exactly what had been misunderstood, Saejin’s lips quivered and he flailed his hands in panic. He tried to explain immediately, but Woobeom stepped back faster than he could form a sentence.

“…Are you insane?”

“No, no! Please just listen to me.”

“A brat like you acting all loose… tch.”

It seemed the misunderstanding had sunk in deep. Turning his head away as if he refused to associate with him, Woobeom started walking toward the bathroom. If Saejin let him leave like this, he’d end up living with the title of pervert forever. Panicking, he grabbed onto Woobeom’s waistband as if clinging for his life.

“Hyung, hyung! Wait a second. This is really a misunderstanding!”

“Let go?”

The small brat was hanging on with his full weight, and the elastic waistband of the pants started slipping lower. Woobeom could’ve pushed him off and made him fall, but he hesitated, worried the recently treated area might get hurt again. Lifting the waistband back up with one hand, he issued a rough warning, the kind that said he really would tear him apart if he didn’t let go.

“It’s not that body. I mean, it is a body, but I didn’t mean it like that. I meant your muscles? Your build? I respect that kind of thing!”

“…Right.”

“I mean, we didn’t even do anything, so why would I say I liked your body? It’s not like we did something…”

As he spoke, the unfairness of it all made his voice trail off in a sulky mumble.

“But still… I’m sorry I suddenly stuck my face in. Did you get hurt?”

When Woobeom lost balance earlier, he might’ve strained his wrist. With monsters roaming outside, having a strong body was the most valuable asset. Worried he might have hurt him, even accidentally, Saejin gently held Woobeom’s wrist and checked it. Woobeom shook his head, signaling that it was fine.

“If you’re bored, go take a light walk or something.”

“Aren’t I still banned from going out?”

“After staple removal, it’s fine. Not moving your body at all is worse.”

He pointed at the area near Saejin’s stomach. The moment he realized the ban was lifted, Saejin’s mood brightened instantly.

“Then I’ll go right now!”

“Don’t go far.”

“Okay!”

Drunk, whining, panicking, after doing all sorts of nonsense alone, Saejin now ran toward the front door with a bright grin, wiggling his hips. Watching him go, Woobeom finally stepped into the bathroom. From what he’d seen of the kid so far, he trusted, or hoped, that Saejin wouldn’t do anything dangerous, so he decided to give him some freedom.

Saejin placed his hand on the door handle and felt the cold seep into his fingertips. He’d been indoors in the warmth for so long that he briefly forgot the season. Realizing this, he quickly turned toward Woobeom’s wardrobe.

“It’d be nice if I had clothes in my size…”

He pulled the doors open, revealing rows of tightly packed clothing. Moving quickly, Saejin started searching for anything he could reasonably wear. Their builds were drastically different, so finding clothes that wouldn’t slide off his shoulders wasn’t easy. Whenever he found something barely wearable, he separated it from the rest, even if he didn’t need it right away.

“This one should work.”

The piece Saejin finally picked was a black cardigan. On Woobeom, it would’ve fallen neatly to the waistband of his pants, but on Saejin, the length was awkward. Still, the shoulders didn’t slide off much, so it wasn’t uncomfortable to move in.

Considering the outside temperature, it wasn’t exactly warm clothing, but it would have to do. After tidying the messy room, Saejin stepped out. As he walked past the living room toward the entrance, he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom.

I should be back before he finishes washing.

Even if this whole place belonged to Woobeom, no one knew when an infected might climb over the fence. Sure, it was unlikely, they’d have to abandon a city full of amenities to climb a pathless mountain. And since Woobeom patrolled the area daily, the risk was probably low. Still, the unease remained.

Finished with preparations and shoes on, Saejin poked his head out the half-open front door. Ice-cold wind brushed harshly over his skin. Shuddering, he sniffed the winter air before stepping out. Once fully outside, he carefully closed the door behind him and scanned the area. It was still as empty as ever, but the thick forest smell brought a sense of calm.

This place must get really slippery when it snows.

Only thirty steps from the villa, the slope became steep. Normally the rocks and tree roots embedded in the ground worked as footholds, but with snow, they’d become obstacles.

Keeping his body low, he slowly made his way down until he reached a relatively flat spot, then stretched. The trees were bare because it was winter, but the mountain scenery was still nice.

“Come to think of it… he said there was a valley.”

He wanted to see it, but it was probably past the private fence. He didn’t know the terrain well; wandering around and getting lost would be a headache.

Settling in a comfortable spot, Saejin looked up at the clear sky and took a deep breath. A peaceful place with no signs of people. If the virus crisis ended within a year, that would be ideal. But if it lasted longer, he and Woobeom might eventually have to go on supply-searching trips. He hoped that day would never come, but no one could predict the distant future.

To Saejin, the city had become something both familiar and terrifying. The thought of returning to a world where people killed each other was horrifying. After squeezing his eyes shut and opening them, he dusted off his pants and stood to explore a bit more. Each time he waved his hands, bits of dirt flew off into the air.

Having breathed outdoor air for the first time in a while, he must have gotten carried away, he had wandered too far. When he noticed the fence marking the boundary of the property right in front of him, he turned around. Even on tiptoe, he couldn’t see the villa.

Good thing I followed the path.

If he got lost now, with no working phone, it would be a disaster. Thankfully, he had unconsciously followed the trail Woobeom had made during his patrols. Behind him, though faint, he could see where he had walked through the vegetation.

He sighed at the steep hill he would need to climb and began walking. Mountains had good air, but even a short walk drained his stamina. Just as he braced himself and stepped forward, a strong gust of wind hit his back.

“Ah!”

Dirt blew into his eyes, stinging them. Rubbing above his eyelid gently, he lifted his head. Goosebumps prickled across his skin as the fine hairs on his neck stood.

Carried on the wind was the smell of rotting flesh.

That… shouldn’t be possible.

Hoping he imagined it, he inhaled deeply, but the unpleasant smell hit his nose again. It was unmistakably the scent of a monster. Saejin snapped his head toward the direction the wind had come from. Only silence greeted him. Nothing visible. But if there was a smell, it meant he needed to check.

…I have to tell hyung!

Hurrying up the slope made his healing abdomen pull sharply. Pressing down on the mended wound, Saejin soothed the startled muscles with slow strokes of his hand, but he didn’t stop running.

As he got closer to the villa and the stench of decay faded, his suspicion hardened. There had to be a monster behind the fence. This wasn’t some animal carcass smell. It was the strong, nostril-burning stench he could never forget after breathing it so many times in the city.

By the time he reached the villa, his lungs felt like they were about to burst and sweat dotted his forehead. Bent over with hands on his thighs, Saejin gasped for air. Seeing this through the window, Woobeom came out immediately.

“What’s wrong.”

He reached Saejin in just a few steps and gently wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His complexion was so pale he looked like he had just seen a ghost.

“I think… something came up the mountain.”

“What?”

“I ended up walking down to where the barbed fence is… and I smelled rotting flesh. You know what I mean… that smell monsters have!”

Spewing out words in panicked fragments, Saejin grabbed onto Woobeom and tried to steady his ragged breathing. Woobeom held his shoulders as if telling him to calm down and looked in the direction Saejin had run from. The villa was far from the fence, so he couldn’t confirm anything without checking it himself.

“You did patrol today. Didn’t you see anything strange?”

“I didn’t go down the lower path. I only went up today.”

“Then… shouldn’t we check it? What if the whole mountain turns into a monster nest?”

Woobeom had been convinced monsters couldn’t climb over the wire fence, but Saejin thought differently. Monsters were persistent enough to crawl up the villa stairs. Saying they were safe just because the fence was tall felt too optimistic.

“This is strange.”

There was something uncomfortable about what Saejin said. If an infected intruded, that would make sense. But he never considered that a monster would climb a mountain. This place was far from any residential area. There were no hikers, and there shouldn’t be any outbreaks nearby.

If a monster really had entered the mountain, the most likely cause was someone releasing it on purpose. But why would anyone release a monster in such a remote, uninhabited mountain? That part bothered Woobeom the most.

“Hy-hyung? Where are you going?”

Saejin quickly blocked him as he tried to head down the slope.

“I need to check.”

“And? If there really is a monster, what are you going to do…! Wait, hold on, I’ll bring the raincoats!”

Saying he would be right back and begging Woobeom not to move, Saejin dashed inside the villa. He had reorganized the bag yesterday and remembered storing the four raincoats they brought in one of the drawers. He grabbed two and rushed back outside.

“Here.”

Woobeom stared at him quietly as he handed him one. More accurately, he wasn’t looking at the raincoat, he was looking at the hand that wasn’t offering it.

“What? Don’t tell me you were planning to go alone?”

Narrowing his eyes, Saejin ripped open the packaging before Woobeom could protest. Worried he might be left behind, he watched Woobeom anxiously even as he put the raincoat on.

“If it really is a monster, there could be more than one. How could I let you go alone.”

Buttoning the front, he thumped his chest with a serious expression.

“I don’t think I can fight yet, but I can at least support you. Come on, what are you doing? You need to grab a weapon.”

Watching Saejin’s overly dramatic determination, Woobeom swallowed the laugh that almost escaped and let the kid fuss around. Somehow, Saejin had already shoved a wooden club into his hands.

“I’ll guide you down the path I took. It’s better to go straight to the suspected spot than circle the whole mountain.”

He looked ready to march straight out, but when Woobeom didn’t follow, Saejin raised an eyebrow. Woobeom answered by tapping his chest with his index finger.

“What?”

Saejin looked down at himself, wondering if he spilled something, but saw nothing wrong.

“Lift your head.”