By Zephyria 
“Yes, that’s right. I came from Sangwon.”
“You’ve come a really long way. If you’re from Sangwon, did you come through Nokwang City? The roads around here are all swarming with zombies, so it’s not easy to travel by car. Is the situation a bit better in the lower provinces?”
“No, I think it’s similar to here. Instead, we traveled under the roads.”
At Mi-so’s answer that she had come all the way here from Sangwon on foot, they shook their heads in disbelief.
“You walked all the way here on two feet? How on earth did you come such a long way?”
“Do you have a secret?”
“What’s the situation in Nokwang City?”
As questions poured in from all directions, Mi-so gave an awkward smile and waved her hands.
“Haha… I don’t really have a secret…. I was just lucky. There were many times when I was on the verge of death. Nokwang City is no different from here.”
A woman with bleached blonde hair let out a sigh of admiration and shook her head.
“You’ve really been through a lot. I almost died just coming here from nearby Dragon Cloud City….”
Eden, who had been listening to the conversation with his arms crossed, suddenly turned his gaze to the woman’s face. Ha-jin also perked up at the mention of Dragon Cloud City.
“You came from Dragon Cloud City?”
“Yes?”
“May I ask which neighborhood you came from?”
The woman, flustered by Ha-jin’s sudden interest, blushed and replied.
“I came from Duseon-dong.”
“Is Duseon-dong far from the place with the amusement park?”
“Neverland? It’s not that far from Duseon-dong. It takes about 15 minutes by car when there’s no traffic.”
The woman explained that the zombie virus had spread quickly throughout Dragon Cloud City without giving them a chance to do anything about it. If she had been just an hour later, she would never have been able to cross over here.
“And you should consider Neverland as almost hopeless. It was the Rose Festival period, so the roads were packed with cars.”
“……”
‘There are so many people coming to the festival these days. I’m even being sent out to support other departments even though it’s not my job? It’s good because they pay a lot, but I’m dying because I don’t have time to rest.’
Jun-seok’s face, as he complained cutely over a video call one day, flashed through Ha-jin’s mind.
He had expected it wouldn’t be easy, but after hearing the testimony of a survivor who had actually come from Dragon Cloud City, his heart became even more uncontrollably anxious. It wouldn’t be easy to find his brother in that vast Neverland, and what’s more, if there were a lot of people gathered because of the festival….
“But why the amusement park? You’re not planning to go there, are you?”
Ha-jin pressed down hard on the back of his opposite hand with his fingernails, looking uneasy, then gave an awkward smile instead of answering. Seeing him continue to torment his innocent hand, Eden grabbed his wrist.
“Let’s stop that.”
Eden pulled his hand down under the table and gently stroked the skin, which was covered with crescent-shaped marks, with his thumb. It was a simple touch, closer to comfort than erotic seduction.
After lightly tapping the back of his hand one last time, he looked at Ha-jin and smiled gently. As the warmth that had been tightly gripping his hand disappeared, his heart fluttered. Only then did Ha-jin clench his tingling fingertips and look around to see if anyone was watching.
The conversation, short if short, long if long, came to an end. People got up from their seats one by one to rest. The short-haired man, who had finished cleaning up last, called out to Eden, who was walking ahead.
“Excuse me, I have a question.”
Eden turned around and looked at the man who had called him. He had a rather insecure expression on his face.
“I thought you might have seen a lot of monsters while coming here. Have you ever seen any….”
“……”
“Have you ever seen a talking monster?”
Eden stared at the man for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Are you talking about zombies when you say monsters?”
The man swallowed hard and nodded his head up and down quickly. A deflated breath escaped from Eden’s lips. Talking zombies. It was a story he had never even imagined.
“I’ve never seen such a zombie.”
As he turned his body away from the man who was talking nonsense, he once again blocked Eden’s path.
“My girlfriend was bitten by a zombie. So I thought she had either died or turned into a zombie….”
Eden raised one eyebrow at the man who was looking up at him without answering.
“She definitely spoke. Whether she still had consciousness after being bitten by the zombie, my girlfriend called out my name and rushed at me. I remember it clearly.”
“……”
“If I tell people, they don’t believe me, so I’ve been frustrated all alone. Since you’ve come from far away, I was wondering if you might have encountered such a zombie….”
“You’re saying she called out your name while she was a zombie?”
“Yes, that’s right. She called out my name even though it had been a day since she was bitten. I definitely, definitely heard it….”
The man seemed to be choked up as he spoke, quickly turning his gaze to the side and letting out a short sigh.
Eden, who had been lost in thought with his brow furrowed, slowly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen such a zombie.”
“……”
“In a state of panic, it’s possible to have hallucinations or hear things.”
If the man’s words were true, and if such a mutant actually existed, then wouldn’t that be a human who eats people rather than a monster? Since it was a situation where the chances of escape, let alone survival, would be slim, he could only hope that the man’s words were not true.
Before his thoughts could go any deeper, Eden bowed lightly and left the confused man behind, heading back outside.
As he was about to head straight to his room, he spotted Ha-jin lingering in the distance and approached him.
“Were you waiting?”
“I was wondering why you weren’t coming out. But what were you talking about so seriously?”
Ha-jin’s eyes, glancing at the man who was leaving the restaurant with a dejected look, were filled with curiosity.
“It’s nothing much.”
“It looked pretty serious for something that’s nothing much. What were you talking about?”
At the persistent questioning, Eden suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked down at him, whispering mischievously.
“But why were you waiting? It seems like everyone else has gone to their rooms.”
Ha-jin’s round eyes rolled from side to side, as if he really hadn’t thought that far.
“…Just, you know.”
“Just?”
“Just because the principle is to be in pairs.”
“Is that so?”
Hmm…. A meaningful gaze swept over Ha-jin for a while. There was still evidence of a satisfying meal on Ha-jin’s lips. As Eden stared intently at the red gochujang smeared on his philtrum, a loud cough was soon heard.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Am I not allowed to look?”
“Yes, don’t look.”
At the sudden rejection, Eden swallowed the laughter that was about to come out and silently tapped his lips twice. Ha-jin’s pupils, which had been suspiciously watching, quickly shook. As he silently tapped his lips again without saying anything, Ha-jin’s ears began to turn bright red.
“Are you crazy…?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What are you doing here…!”
His hasty glances around were nothing short of frantic. He bit his lower lip tightly, as if he had imagined something, and kept swallowing hard. Eden, watching Ha-jin’s flustered movements, couldn’t help but shrug his shoulders.
“Are you laughing?”
Despite the reproach, he laughed without paying attention, and Ha-jin’s face twisted ambiguously.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Haha.”
“You’re really weird…”
“Do Ha-jin.”
Eden coughed and this time raised his index finger to Ha-jin’s lips, pressing down lightly.
“You have gochujang on your lips.”
“……”
With those words, the chattering mouth was tightly shut.
“Shall I wipe it off for you again this time?”
At the teasing question, the neck, adorned with kiss marks, turned red. Ha-jin’s wavering gaze turned to the floor. He clenched his fists tightly and then rubbed his lips roughly with the back of his hand. It was a violent gesture mixed with shame and annoyance.
“You’ll scrape your lips.”
Eden once again pulled his wrist as if to stop him. His thumb gently stroked the rough scars on his wrist caused by being tied with rope.
“Let’s go now.”
Ha-jin, unable to even think about pulling his caught hand away, trudged behind him with a complex and subtle expression on his face.
❖ ❖ ❖
The group sat in a row on the wooden porch, watching the setting sun. The fish-shaped wind chime hanging from the eaves rang with a clear sound in the faintly blowing breeze. The peaceful chimes, which went well with the tranquil scenery, made everyone’s eyes drowsy.
“Um….”
Then Mi-so, who had been sitting on the wooden porch, suddenly got up and walked to the middle of the yard.
“I think I should tell you about this around now.”
Question marks popped up one by one on the faces of the people who had been resting with their eyes half-closed. Byeol, who had been hugging Pie, rubbed his sleepy eyes and stared at Mi-so.
She looked back at the five pairs of eyes looking at her in turn and let out a deep sigh. She stood there blankly with her hands clasped together, looking like a student about to give her first presentation. Mi-so lowered her gaze with a face that clearly showed hesitation and paused for a long time.
“What is it?”
Ha-jin asked cautiously, sensing the unusual atmosphere. She swept the densely grown bushes with the toe of her shoe and then finally raised her head.
“Well… I think I’ll probably have to say goodbye tomorrow.”