By Zephyria 
Sweat dripped from his forehead. The heat radiating from their bodies, pressed tightly together, was considerable, but he didn’t find it unpleasant. Compared to the stench of decaying corpses and the foul odor of sewage, the smell of sweat from each other’s bodies was sweeter and more fragrant than any perfume.
He sat there, nose buried, unmoving for what felt like tens of minutes. Thump, thump, thump. Ha-jin listened to the steady rhythm of Eden’s heartbeat. The zombies that had been circling nearby seemed to have disappeared, and even the howling had faded away at some point.
“Ahem, should we get up now?”
“……”
“Jeong Tae-geon?”
He asked again, but Eden didn’t respond. Only the quiet sound of breathing, the flow of the stream, and the distant roars of zombies echoed within the culvert. He raised his head, which he had lowered to check on Eden’s condition, and heard a groan mixed with annoyance in his ear.
“Haa, I’m really gonna die…”
Eden, completely relying on Ha-jin, relaxed his body.
“Sorry, but let’s stay like this a little longer.”
Ha-jin stiffened his shoulders, feeling awkward at the weight leaning on him as if collapsing. Now, Eden seemed to be breathing only through his mouth, making an uncharacteristic nasal sound.
“…I’m a bit sensitive to smells.”
It was the first time he had heard that voice, the first time he had heard that kind of grumbling. He felt strange for a moment. Jeong Tae-geon was relying on him. Even clutching his T-shirt tightly like a child clinging to its mother.
Feeling both sorry and strangely proud of himself, Ha-jin scolded Eden for no reason.
“Why did you follow me here and go through all this trouble?”
“…Hoo.”
Instead of answering, Eden exhaled hot breath as if blowing out cigarette smoke. Ha-jin frowned slightly at the breath tickling his neck.
“In the future, even if I disappear, don’t recklessly chase after me.”
In truth, he wanted to say thank you. He didn’t want to admit it, but when Ha-jin found Eden, who had chased after him to the far-off culvert, he felt like he had been hit over the head. An indescribable shock, or rather, a lightning bolt of relief.
When Eden glared at him, saying he couldn’t leave him to die, when he pushed him against the wall to avoid the sewage, when he didn’t hesitate to sit on the ground to accommodate his cramped leg, Ha-jin couldn’t help but feel grateful for his presence.
When they held each other tightly, suppressing their breaths, he felt a fleeting moment of tenderness warming his heart, unbelievably.
Comrades in arms on the battlefield, clutching each other’s dog tags.
He now felt, for the first time, that he fully understood the meaning of the companionship Eden had spoken of. But just because they were comrades didn’t mean Eden had to make unreasonable sacrifices for him. Ha-jin didn’t want that either.
“Why aren’t you answering? I’m telling you not to chase after me in the future.”
“That’s my choice to make.”
Eden, his brow furrowed deeply, lifted his face from where it was buried in Ha-jin’s shoulder. Their eyes met, their noses almost touching.
“I can’t chase after you like this even if Jeong Tae-geon disappears. So don’t do anything dangerous again.”
Ha-jin pretended to be nonchalant, but he already knew. If Jeong Tae-geon were in danger, he wouldn’t be able to stand by and watch either.
Moreover, if it weren’t for Jeong Tae-geon, he didn’t know if he could have made it this far with the single-minded determination to survive.
Although Eden’s condescending way of speaking and crude jokes were quite annoying at times, he couldn’t even imagine a journey without him now.
Lost in thought, Eden wrinkled his nose and pulled Ha-jin closer.
“I get it, so stay close.”
He buried his face in Ha-jin’s collarbone, as if searching for a place to breathe, and inhaled deeply. It felt as if even the skin touching him was being sucked in. Ha-jin instinctively hunched his neck, and Eden mumbled something with his face buried.
“…Do Ha-jin Hyung has a mark on his neck.”
“……”
“I’ve noticed it before, but your skin leaves marks easily. Is your skin thin?”
At the sudden remark, Ha-jin blinked, feeling around his neck. The mark must have been from when Eden grabbed the back of his neck earlier.
“Just from grabbing it a few times…”
Eden continued to mutter things he hadn’t been asked, like a drunk person. His low, growling voice made Ha-jin’s shoulders curl inward.
“Jeong Tae-geon, are you really carsick? What nonsense have you been spouting since earlier…”
“I like it.”
“Huh?”
“Sometimes I want to grab it on purpose…”
Ha-jin’s mouth dropped open at the unexpected last words.
“No, you’re… crazy. Grab what? Are you out of your mind? Are you some kind of pervert, really…!”
As he retorted in an absurd tone, Eden’s back heaved greatly. He could feel laughter escaping between his breaths. He wanted to push him away immediately, but Eden’s condition wasn’t good, as he was breathing heavily despite his babbling.
Ha-jin sighed deeply as if giving up and changed the subject.
“It seems like the smell is making you a little delirious. You might as well just pass out.”
As expected, there was no response. Only the occasional groan, like a moan, flowed into his ear.
“I’ll keep watch for zombies. Trust me and close your eyes.”
You came along for nothing, you’re suffering for nothing… Watching Jeong Tae-geon, who was out of his mind and acting weak, made him feel strange. Although he was spouting nonsense, it felt like he had glimpsed a secret he shouldn’t have seen, and he felt like a stone was weighing on his chest.
After hesitating, Ha-jin carefully patted Eden’s back with a steady rhythm. He felt the body leaning on him become even heavier. Ha-jin, on the contrary, felt a sense of comfort from that heavy weight. It was almost miraculous that he felt such an emotion in such a precarious situation.
Surviving alone was now meaningless anyway.
Just, for the first time, he had that thought.
❖ ❖ ❖
@Paid Content
The horde of zombies that had ambushed them in the middle of the night only subsided by dawn. Eden and Ha-jin, who had escaped from the culvert, avoiding the remaining zombies, climbed onto the highway railing.
The group, who had desperately hidden under the vehicles and spent the entire night, rushed towards Ha-jin and Eden as if they had been waiting for them.
“Do Ha-jin, where were you! I was worried!”
“Oh, thank god…!”
“Uncles, are you okay… Ugh, eugh. But why do you smell?”
It seemed that the smell had permeated their bodies after spending the entire night in the sewage pit. Ha-jin awkwardly sniffed his clothes and smiled with a haggard face.
Park Chun-beom pushed up his broken glasses and sobbed as if relieved.
“We were going to go out and look for you and Director Jeong as soon as it got light because you hadn’t come back.”
“Were you very surprised? It’s just one night away.”
Ha-jin patted Park Chun-beom’s shoulder, who seemed particularly surprised. Then, Park Chun-beom hugged Ha-jin’s waist as if wanting to be embraced.
“I’m so glad you’re safe!”
“…Oh… I smell… don’t I?”
Ha-jin smiled awkwardly and patted Park Chun-beom’s plump back. Byeol giggled as he watched, teasing Park Chun-beom and Ha-jin.
“Uncle Chun-beom must like Uncle Ha-jin!”
“Byeol.”
Ha-jin put his index finger to his lips as if telling him to be quiet. As he frowned in embarrassment, his eyes met Eden’s. Perhaps because of the aftereffects of being carsick all night in the culvert, his complexion wasn’t very good. His tired eyes were furrowed.
Ha-jin forced a smile, only raising the corners of his mouth, and forcibly pulled Park Chun-beom away. Then, Park Chun-beom, looking hesitant and cautious, turned to Eden this time.
“Director Jeong, I’m so glad you’re safe too…”
“Let’s keep the reunion to this.”
Jeong Tae-geon raised his hand as if telling Park Chun-beom to stop as he tried to approach. Jeffrey laughed heartily at the sight and handed over Ha-jin and Eden’s bags, which he had collected in advance.
After the short welcome ceremony for their safe return, they each picked up their abandoned luggage and slung it over their shoulders.
“Everyone must be tired from not sleeping, so let’s walk a little further and go inside as soon as we find a place to rest.”
As he said, everyone’s face was full of fatigue. The group moved slowly and awkwardly.
About an hour passed. Eden’s plan, which had prioritized rest, was unknowingly disrupted.
“Damn it, these disgusting zombie bastards!!”
Mi-so’s voice, filled with resentment, echoed on the road.
It was thanks to the horde of zombies that had struck again, just like the night before. This time, there seemed to be at least 200 of them.
They searched everywhere for places to hide, from greenhouses with black tarps to ruined houses, a defunct twisted doughnut factory, and a crane house.
The next day, the day after that, and the day after that were the same. The incomprehensible attacks by the zombie horde had been going on for three days now.