By Zephyria 
#Side Story 2
The helicopter flew for a while and arrived at a place the two often visited. While connecting his parachute, Ire looked out the window. The sky was dyed entirely orange amidst the thick clouds.
He was mesmerized by the sight for a moment, and Kim Ha-yoon fastened his buckle tightly. Considering that he had been thrown down without warning when he first rode a helicopter a few years ago, this was an excessive kindness.
He laughed suddenly at the thought of that time, and Kim Ha-yoon noticed and put the goggles hanging around his neck on him. Kim Ha-yoon’s lips, visible through the goggles, were raised in a smooth curve.
When they reached a certain altitude, the helicopter door was opened. Looking down, the bottom was dizzying. This moment, just before jumping, was the most exciting. After confirming the landing point with his eyes, he let go without hesitation.
His body faced downwards, and he began to fall, cutting through the wind in an instant. Unlike before, his posture was stable, and he knew at what point to pull the parachute cord. Soon after, the parachute opened, slowing down his speed, and the scenery of the distant sky came into full view.
The sun was about to sink into the sea. As he stared blankly, the ground grew closer and closer. Just as he landed and was about to separate the parachute from his body, his body was pulled back sharply. He lost his balance and fell on his butt, then turned around.
He thought Kim Ha-yoon, who had arrived first, was playing a prank, but Captain was landing far away.
“Grrr-”
What came into Ire’s eyes was a beast. Perhaps because of what happened yesterday, his hand went to his waist without him even realizing it. Only then did he realize that it was just an ordinary dog. However, its size was particularly large, and the atmosphere it exuded was also unusual.
He tried to escape quickly, but the beast was one step faster. He lost his balance and tumbled, and his body was quickly dragged backward. He barely managed to undo the buckle and turn around, and the beast pounced on him in an instant.
At that moment, with a bang, the beast rolled to the side. Blood was flowing from one of the beast’s legs as it staggered to its feet. It was definitely much bigger than a dog, and it also looked a lot like the wolves Kim Ha-yoon had taken him to see at the zoo sometime ago.
He signaled to Kim Ha-yoon, who was aiming his gun again, not to do it.
The beast, which had been growling in a low voice, slowly approached. The pendant dangling from its collar caught his eye. The old leash seemed to have been put on it since it was a puppy, and it was pitifully digging into its skin, causing pus to ooze out. The beast came closer, stared at him, and suddenly put its front legs together and lay down on the ground.
Kim Ha-yoon, who had been walking over, still had his gun pointed at the beast’s head. He carefully reached out his hand, but was immediately stopped.
“Don’t touch it. It’s dangerous.”
“It looks like it was raised as a pet. It has a collar.”
The beast licked the hand Ire awkwardly held out. Ire took out a canteen from his bag, poured water into his hand, and offered it to the beast. It drank it greedily, looking very hungry. He even took out jerky and handed it to the beast, stroking its head, and it wagged its tail. Its actions were so cute that he laughed.
“It must have been hungry.”
Kim Ha-yoon was checking the time.
“Let’s go. It’ll be hard to go up if we’re late.”
Ire looked at Kim Ha-yoon with a look that said he had a lot to say.
“I want to take him to Zone D. I also want to get him treated.”
At those words, the animal also looked up at Kim Ha-yoon with a pitiful look. Its gray fur and blue-gray eyes resembled Ire so much that it was as if Ire had been transformed into an animal. If Ire were born as a dog, he would probably look like that.
He thought for a moment and then radioed. After a while, the helicopter, which had disappeared from sight, returned and landed. It would take time to bring a cage to put the beast in, so they tied its legs together and loaded it into the back seat of the helicopter and secured it.
He did not forget to tell them to take the beast to district a and to get a doctor to examine it immediately. Before the helicopter took off, Ire stroked the beast’s head once.
“See you when you get back.”
He stared at the helicopter as it took off for a long time before turning around. Against the backdrop of the setting sun, the two walked for a long time. Slowly, the sea appeared before them. There were several buildings in the sea that had been built a long time ago, and some of them were submerged in water and on the verge of collapsing.
Ire took off his shoes and rolled up his pants where the water would not reach, then put his feet in the water. The cool water wet his feet and then receded. He had never imagined that he would see the sea in his life. On a whim, he took off his clothes and threw them off. He turned around and saw Kim Ha-yoon smiling with his arms crossed. Ire pointed to a white buoy in the distance.
“Let’s make a bet. Who can get there first?”
Kim Ha-yoon snorted.
“Did you forget? We made the same bet a few months ago.”
He had confidently challenged him that day, but he had failed miserably. But today was different. The waves were calm, and his physical condition was not bad. As he warmed up, he provoked him by asking if he was chickening out, and Kim Ha-yoon smiled and unbuttoned his shirt one by one.
“Don’t cry if you lose.”
“I won’t go easy on you this time.”
“Okay. Do your best.”
Ire jumped into the water first. The water was cold because summer was over, so he was startled. He went in up to his chest and stood side by side, and at the same time as saying three, they swam towards the buoy.
Kim Ha-yoon touched the buoy by a hair’s breadth, and Ire was a little faster on the way back. In the end, Ire reached the finish line by a hair’s breadth. He stuck his head out of the water, gasped for breath, and smiled brightly.
“Did you see? I was faster!”
Kim Ha-yoon swept back his wet hair and stared at his face. Ire’s face, smiling brightly under the setting sun, was so lovely that it was overwhelming. Unlike his lover, who was boiling with competitive spirit, Kim Ha-yoon was so happy with these trivial moments that he couldn’t bear to see them pass. Of course, his still young lover didn’t seem to think that far.
“Congratulations. What’s my prize?”
Ire looked dumbfounded.
“Why would Captain get a prize when I won?”
“The winner doesn’t necessarily have to receive it. You can also comfort the loser. Show some generosity.”
“You didn’t do that when I lost last time.”
What is generosity? He had to suffer in bed until just before sunrise because he lost. As he grumbled that he had no conscience and came outside, Kim Ha-yoon came over, put his arms around his neck, and showered kisses on his cheeks.
Why don’t you just give it to me now? My dick is freezing and about to break, can’t I put it in your hole? Ire frowned at the low-quality joke and looked under the surface of the water, then suddenly plunged his face into the water and put his hand in.
Soon after, a fish was caught in his hand. The long fish was shaped like a snake. It was so strong that his arm was about to move with it. Ire showed it off and shouted excitedly.
“I caught it! Look!”
Kim Ha-yoon regretted not bringing his camera to capture his childlike smile. He should have captured that moment.
The two threw the freshly caught fish on the land and then put on their clothes in turn. Then, they put the fish in a small bag. Looking at the still wriggling fish, he thought it would taste very good.
As Ire took the lead, Kim Ha-yoon followed, asking with a curious expression.
“Why are you taking that?”
“I’m going to cook it and eat it.”
“Are you serious?”
“I have the tools, so don’t worry.”
They immediately entered the building and went up the stairs, and old writings caught their eyes everywhere. They were graffiti left by people who lived here before the sea level rose. From playfully written words to things left behind like wills.
Had they expected it? That they would never return to their homes. Disaster is something that no one knows when or at what moment it will strike. When they arrived at the rooftop, they saw the tent and belongings they had left behind before.
Ire first took out water, poured it into a pot, and released the fish into it. It seemed less energetic than before, but it was still breathing. Ire looked at Kim Ha-yoon. He had confidently promised to cook a really delicious meal today, but he didn’t seem to believe him at all.