By Zephyria 
A rustic cloth bundle was filled with a table clock, various food supplies, and toiletries. Ha-jin and Eden, having retrieved weapons from the toolbox in the shoe closet, ate an early breakfast with Pie and left the old apartment.
Leaving the quiet neighborhood, they passed through an industrial complex with blue slate roofs and entered the Hwajeong-Insuro road.
While deviating from the originally planned Gyeongbu Expressway and forging a new path, Ha-jin wore a blank expression the entire time, like a person with a screw loose.
“…I was thinking it might be nice to stop by the outlet and stay overnight. What do you think, Do Ha-jin?”
“……”
“Do Ha-jin?”
Eden stared at him, noticing his delayed reactions, and asked again.
“According to the sign, there’s an outlet 5km away. I was wondering if we should rest there.”
“Ah… sure, yes.”
“The weather’s been unusual lately, like it’s the rainy season. While we’re there, let’s look for a waterproof windbreaker or raincoat, and change into sturdy shoes.”
“Yes, let’s go.”
Ha-jin nodded, half-listening. As they continued on their way, Eden suddenly stopped in his tracks.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
He scanned Ha-jin meticulously with sharp eyes and reached out his hand. Ha-jin flinched involuntarily at the ticklish touch on his forehead.
“I-I’m fine, though?”
As the distance widened with his quick steps, Eden’s hand hung awkwardly in the air. At the same time, a deep furrow formed between his brows.
Ha-jin, not seeing his ominous expression, rubbed the tips of his flushed ears and hurried his pace. His face, turned away from Eden, began to turn a deep red.
Even as he tried not to think about it, the sensation of his inner thighs brushing against each other and his swollen lips vividly brought back the scene of last night’s lovemaking. So, from the moment he woke up until now, as he crossed Hwajeong City without rest… Ha-jin had been replaying his sex with Eden.
The more he tried to cut off the thoughts, the clearer the sensations became. The breath he felt on his ear, the sticky moans, the firm grip on his genitals, his upper body being pushed back by the animalistic thrusts, even his half-unfocused pupils.
Like an immature youth who had just experienced his first time, his head would heat up just from making eye contact, making it difficult to have a proper conversation all day.
‘Stop thinking about it…’
In contrast, Eden’s attitude was not much different from usual. He didn’t blush like he did, nor did he do silly things like moving his left hand and left foot together.
‘I need to confirm whether it’s simple lust or affection. And Do Ha-jin probably feels the same way.’
Could Jeong Tae-geon already have come to a conclusion? Or am I the only one giving too much meaning to a one-night stand?
Even while fighting zombies with half their faces missing, while sitting on the street to eat, even in the moments of rest with Pie as a pillow, Ha-jin’s mind was filled with question marks.
“Do Ha-jin, we’re here.”
Then Eden grabbed the back of his neck as he was about to pass the entrance of the outlet. Startled, Ha-jin looked around with a sullen gaze. A large, semi-circular sign that read ‘Premium Outlet’ was erected above his head.
The buildings, which seemed to be modeled after Italian Mediterranean architecture, were quite large in scale. While the two stood still, gauging the size of the desolate space, Pie began to bare his teeth, guarding the surroundings.
“Will it be okay?”
At the cautious question, Eden’s finger pointed to a rectangular sign. The sign contained a building layout of four zones and detailed brand names.
“We should be fine if we avoid the restaurant area and the underground parking lot. Let’s go to that building with the sports apparel stores first.”
Fortunately, Zone A, which Eden pointed to, was located in a secluded area away from the other buildings and was also the closest building from where they were standing.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
A chilling sound, whether it was the howling of zombies or the wind blowing through the buildings, rang in his ears. Ha-jin belatedly swallowed hard, feeling the tension soaking his spine.
The senses he hadn’t been aware of, because he was only thinking about sex with Eden, were now gradually returning. The heat of his feet, which felt like they were burning from the long walk, and the weight of the bundle on his back felt like a ton.
As he frowned at the sweat dripping down his forehead, Eden immediately reached out his hand. Startled by the delicate touch wiping the sweat from his eyebrows, Ha-jin subtly pulled away.
Eden stared at Ha-jin’s retreating face and suddenly warned in a low voice.
“Don’t avoid my touch. I remember mentioning it before.”
“……”
“I’m telling you one last time, because you seem to have forgotten.”
The word ‘last’ made him feel strangely uneasy. It didn’t seem like a warning that would be shared between ordinary colleagues, so Ha-jin was puzzled, but he quickly became dazed again by the ticklish touch that was approaching again.
As his wet bangs were swept to the side, his eyes closed tightly.
Fuck.
Something was seriously wrong. Feeling his chest churning, he swallowed the rising curse. If he could, he wanted to pass out right then and there.
“Are you going to keep making it so obvious?”
But at the sudden rebuke that followed, he had no choice but to slowly lift his closed eyelids.
“…Huh?”
“I’m just as embarrassed and awkward as Do Ha-jin. I’m trying my best to act normal, so please help me out.”
Whoosh— Whoosh—
The unidentified resonance was still dully pounding in his ears. Ha-jin’s mouth hung open stupidly as he belatedly understood Eden’s words.
…Embarrassed and awkward? That Jeong Tae-geon? He met Eden’s eyes with a faint disbelief at the unbelievable statement, but there was not a trace of playfulness on his serious face.
“Let’s talk about this tonight, and for now, let’s just focus on getting inside safely.”
Ha-jin didn’t even know how to respond, so he subtly averted his gaze. His eyelashes, looking at the large bear-shaped sculpture and the withered fountain, were fluttering like the wings of a tired butterfly.
The outlet was eerie and desolate, as if ghosts would come out. Black bloodstains and rotten flesh were scattered all over the walls and floors, as if there had been a big commotion. A pile of corpses was stacked on the escalator leading to Zone B, and the zombies trapped in the gaps were busy flapping their rotten hands and feet.
He had expected it, but the much more horrific and dizzying scenery made Ha-jin cling to Eden’s side without realizing it. Pie circled around the mannequins lying on the floor and the corpses with only their lower bodies left, as if uneasy.
“Maybe because there are no people, I can’t see the zombies very well.”
He lowered his voice as much as possible and subtly grabbed Eden’s sleeve. Eden smiled faintly as he looked at the hand pulling on his top.
The two hid as much as possible from the zombies and searched the stores. However, most of the luxury brands had all their clothes stolen, and the glass doors were broken, making them unsuitable for hiding overnight.
Just as he was starting to worry that they might be striking out, he was able to find a low-priced mountaineering clothing store at the end of the building. Fortunately, the entrance door opened easily, and the inside of the store was so clean that there was no sign of intrusion.
“The luxury brands are all looted, but only this place is intact…”
To pick and choose daily necessities based on brand even in a ruined world. How vain of a creature is humanity? Ha-jin shook his head as if dumbfounded.
Eden, who had entered first, carefully checked the inside of the dressing room and even the warehouse where the boxes were stacked.
“Let’s settle here today.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ha-jin laid his tired body down on the dusty floor. After walking for eleven hours without rest, his body felt like jelly, melting away.
Eden, who came to his side, also took off the bundle he was carrying and lay down on the floor, following Ha-jin.
“Hoo….”
A brief silence flowed, ending with someone’s tired sigh. Ha-jin swallowed hard, making an effort to turn his eyes to the colorful hiking shoes and functional T-shirts displayed on the wall shelves.
‘Damn it.’
Contrary to his languid body, his mind was gradually becoming clearer. With the person of interest who had been stirring up his head all day lying next to him, it didn’t feel like he was resting even while resting. After hesitating for a moment, he eventually forced his tired body to get up.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m feeling grimy, so I’m going to wash up first.”
“Let’s go together.”
Eden got up from his seat, following Ha-jin as if it were natural. Ha-jin, his face hardening with embarrassment, waved his hand.
“Rest. The bathroom is right next door anyway, so I won’t be going far, and I’ll go first…”
“Do Ha-jin, you’re the one who said that the principle is 2-person teams, so we should stick together. Have you already forgotten what you said?”
“……”
“Let’s go.”
He took two short-sleeved T-shirts and two pairs of shorts hanging on the rack and took the lead before Ha-jin could even answer.