By Zephyria 
While Ha-jin was talking with the soldier, Eden was sitting in a corner of the cafeteria, continuing a fan meeting that was not in his nature. He was still surrounded by sturdy soldiers. As the public-facing CTO of Blue Works, he was responding to every handshake, but the attention he was receiving was quite annoying.
The soldiers spared no respect for Eden, who had returned alive from hellish Korea, and some, with disbelief, freely placed their hands on his shoulder.
‘Fucking… annoying.’
Being away from Ha-jin made him feel like his nasty personality would resurface at any moment. Just as Eden’s patience was reaching its limit, the person in charge sitting next to him noticed his displeasure and finally dismissed the soldiers.
The man continued the conversation he had been having with Eden earlier.
[Not only our New Washington Aircraft Carrier, but other UN aircraft carriers are also currently traveling around various countries to check the virus trends. We are accumulating data on the status of the virus spread and the possibility of reconstruction, so I think we will cooperate with the defense ministries of each country and take military action soon. In times like these, Blue Works’ assistance is desperately needed.]
[Given the special circumstances, I will try to cooperate as much as possible rather than pursuing self-interest.]
[Thank you.]
Eden, who was pressing his temples as if tired, paused for a moment and asked.
[By the way, do you think Korea has a chance of being rebuilt?]
[Currently, we believe that neither South nor North Korea has any chance of revival.]
[I see. The cause of the virus is still under investigation?]
The man, who had finally finished the last piece of his sandwich, nodded and replied solemnly.
[We are developing a vaccine in cooperation with the WHO, but identifying the cause of the virus is no easy task, so we are facing difficulties.]
The man added the same words as the doctor in the botanical garden. Like Hydrophobia, the Zombie virus is considered a type of encephalomyelitis, and because it shows a different pattern from naturally occurring epidemics, the current official position of the UN is that they suspect it is a lethal virus artificially spread by someone.
[I know it was initially called the Cannibal Virus. I remember it started in Sudan, is that correct?]
[How did you know that?]
[I remember paying attention because the supply of shells to the US military increased sharply.]
[The investigation team is currently looking around Africa anyway.]
Afterward, Eden had a long conversation with the man about the virus. They ended their conversation with the story that the evolution speed of the Zombies was abnormally fast, and they were focusing all their efforts on the suppression operation, and then they got up from their seats.
The man received a phone call and returned to the situation room. Eden went straight to the bedroom where Ha-jin and Pie were resting. Unlike the grimace on his face a moment ago, his expression as he headed towards his lover was more gentle than ever.
As he walked down the long corridor, he saw two soldiers walking out of the bathroom. The two men had excited faces. They didn’t even notice someone walking behind them and talked in excited voices.
[Did you hear a real Magician is on board?]
[I’m telling you! When he threw the poker cards into the air earlier, everyone screamed and went wild. You should have seen that scene. He said he would show us coin Magic later, so I quickly brought some coins.]
One of the men bounced a silver coin in his hand and chattered like a child. Eden, watching the backs of the two men moving away, tilted his head to the side.
‘Magician?’
No matter how he looked at it, it was definitely referring to Do Ha-jin. Eden, who had stopped in his tracks, slowly blinked his eyes and suddenly let out a chuckle. He thought he would be sitting there forlornly waiting for him to come, but what was this situation?
He shook his head and hurried towards the bedroom. He soon arrived in front of room 86, but Ha-jin and Pie were nowhere to be seen. Frowning, he looked around, and then he saw someone running towards the common lounge.
He slowly followed him to the lounge, which was about 10 pyeong. Nearly 20 men were gathered in the lounge. In an atmosphere like a locker room where they had gathered to play a football game after school, joyful laughter never ceased from the men’s mouths.
Eden stood with his arms crossed, leaning crookedly against the open doorway. In the middle of the lounge, Ha-jin, with a brooch on his chest, was showing off his brilliant hand skills. As poker cards poured out from between his palms without a break, exclamations erupted from all over the place.
Pie was wagging his tail and jumping up and down next to Ha-jin. As if excited, Pie panted and threw himself onto the scattered cards, sliding across the floor. As if his antics were cute, hands reached out from here and there to Pie’s belly.
Ha-jin flicked a card towards one of the audience members on his right who was staring at him with his mouth open. When the man blinked in confusion after accidentally catching the card, laughter erupted once again from all over the place.
The amazing hand skills, which human eyes and brains could not keep up with, continued thereafter. Some of the audience members were excited and stomped their feet, uttering expletives mixed with admiration. They had completely abandoned the restraint and dignity typical of soldiers.
[That’s fucking awesome!]
[Where did that guy come from? Is he not a permanent resident?]
[He came from Korea, and he’s leaving tomorrow.]
[Let’s take a video while we’re at it.]
The soldiers standing in front of Eden took out their cell phones and filmed Ha-jin as if they were filming a celebrity.
A contented smile spread across Eden’s face as he watched Ha-jin’s happy face, which he had seen in a long time. The moment when he was powerfully performing card Magic in the cave was no different from now. Remembering the fleeting moment when he was sincerely drawn to Ha-jin, he raised his hand and covered his dry lips.
When the card Magic ended, everyone handed Ha-jin the coins and board games they had brought from their bedrooms.
[Here! I brought a coin. Teach me one coin Magic trick!]
[Is there anything we can do with a board game?]
Ha-jin, who was smiling awkwardly at the various items pouring into his arms, belatedly turned his gaze towards the door. When his eyes met Eden’s, he raised his eyebrows as if surprised, and then gave him a bright smile. Eden nodded approvingly as he looked at his lover’s face, which was as radiant as the sun.
It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t jealous of Ha-jin surrounded by dark men, but he couldn’t help but respect his lover, who shone the brightest when he was doing Magic.
Due to the Magic show that continued late into the afternoon, Ha-jin was exhausted. However, his eyes were still sparkling as if they had stars in them, and a satisfied smile was on his face.
❖ ❖ ❖
Ha-jin couldn’t hide his bewildered feelings as he headed to the passenger plane sent by Blue Works. He had expected a small light plane or helicopter at best, but what actually arrived on the deck of the aircraft carrier was a VIP-only large passenger plane.
He looked around to see if there were any other passengers, but only the staff in charge of the plane’s take-off and landing signals and the soldiers running busily somewhere were visible. Men and women in flight attendant uniforms greeted them with bright smiles on either side of the plane’s steps.
[Welcome, customers. Welcome.]
When he followed Eden up with Pie, the flight attendant and captain, who appeared to be the chief purser, bowed deeply at the entrance. It really felt like he had fallen into another world. It was only a short time ago that he had slept on the scorching asphalt road, fought desperately with living corpses, and even suffered from malnutrition because he couldn’t eat properly…
In fact, Ha-jin had been feeling like he was dreaming ever since he arrived on the aircraft carrier.
The interior of the aircraft he entered was luxuriously decorated in toned-down beige and black. There were beds and sofas, and several chairs with monitors.
As he awkwardly sat down and fastened his seatbelt, he soon heard the captain’s calm announcement.
[—Ladies and gentlemen, our passenger plane is scheduled to arrive in Texas local time on July 21st at 3:40 PM. Our crew will do our best to ensure your safe journey…]
The calm explanation that it would take approximately 13 hours to reach Dallas Airport in Texas, and that it could be slightly faster or slower depending on the weather conditions, echoed throughout the cabin.
Ha-jin, who had laid Pie in a large carrier given to him by the flight attendant, turned to Eden and asked.
“But isn’t this really expensive…? Is the company really paying for this?”
Eden sat across from him and shrugged nonchalantly.
“Let’s just say it’s a welfare benefit.”
As the plane entered a stable orbit, he familiarly called a flight attendant and ordered a meal. Ha-jin, while stuffing fresh salad and steak into his mouth, couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.