By Zephyria 
I had been tense for days, and my sleep had been drastically reduced, so fatigue washed over me like a tidal wave. Ha-jin stared at Eden’s broad back through his blurry vision.
Every time he slapped his own cheek, wondering if it was a dream, Eden looked at him as if he were seeing a crazy person. Ha-jin thought the look of contempt was a bit much, but after accidentally catching sight of himself in the car window, he had no choice but to humbly accept Eden’s reaction.
His dirt-covered hair was tangled like a mad scientist’s, and the dark blood smeared haphazardly around his eyes and cheeks was dried and cracked like earthquake-stricken earth. His T-shirt and pants, which he hadn’t changed in days, seemed to stink.
‘I wouldn’t blame a Zombie for wanting to be friends with this…’
He looked more like a Zombie than a human being.
Seeing his appearance, Ha-jin was once again amazed at Eden’s ability to gently stroke his face as soon as they met. Ha-jin deeply realized that Eden truly cared for him and seriously took time to reflect.
Whether his feelings of relief at their reunion were selfish or not, he should have checked on his Darling first. He regretted not only punching the person who had chased after him at the risk of his life, but also not saying a kind word to him.
Ha-jin was disappointed and ashamed of himself for acting like a novice in love. Even as he entered the house to avoid the Zombies, he was constantly looking for the right moment to apologize to Eden. But as soon as their eyes met, he couldn’t say a word, as if glue had been applied to his lips.
In the meantime, Eden found a suitable resting place and led Ha-jin. An old public bathhouse with its sign torn off was their final destination for the day. Standing in front of the glass door with a rusty lock, Eden easily picked the lock with a thin wire he had taken from the hardware store.
In the process, he seemed to remember that Ha-jin had once asked him to teach him how to pick locks, and he suddenly turned around and asked.
“Should I teach you how to pick locks?”
Ha-jin hesitated for a moment before slowly shaking his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Jeong Tae-geon will pick them for me in the future…?”
It was meant to be a gesture of reconciliation, but Eden didn’t seem to understand and casually grabbed the doorknob. Clang― The rusty chain fell to the floor and the door opened. At the same time, the smell of stale water stimulated his sense of smell.
After confirming Pie’s calm reaction, the two turned on their flashlights and climbed the dark stairs. They passed the counter and entered the dressing room, where the smell of dust was musty. Unlike the entrance, the interior was quite bright. Ha-jin took in the afternoon sunlight streaming through the opaque windows and looked around.
The bathhouse evoked a familiar scene that seemed to have jumped out of a 1990s drama. A wooden bench stood in front of the lockers, and a large mirror and a green vanity were placed next to the bathhouse glass door, which was covered in water stains.
Eden, who had thoroughly checked the small room and storage room that would have been used as the manager’s resting space, walked to the bathhouse first.
“I’ll go check the inside.”
While Eden was checking the bath, Ha-jin grabbed a few towels and disposable toiletries from the counter. Soon after, the sound of water pouring out came from inside.
Ha-jin entered with Pie in his arms, holding the disposables in his hand. The unique smell of the bathhouse was quite familiar. Two hot tubs, one cold tub that could barely fit one child, and seated shower stalls were visible.
Eden was holding a showerhead and letting the rust run out.
“Now some clean water is coming out. If possible, don’t go into the tub and shower here.”
“Okay.”
The vitality returned to Ha-jin’s tired eyes. At that moment, Pie ran quickly into the hot tub. Splash―! A loud splash of water rose, and Pie, with only his head sticking out, began to dog-paddle vigorously.
“Come here when you’re done playing. I’ll wash you.”
Ha-jin nagged like a parent and approached Eden. Eden, who had taken a seat on the plastic chair, took off his top without hesitation. Ha-jin, who had been glancing around, quickly took off his clothes as well.
Ha-jin was busy filling the basin with fresh water, as if he didn’t want to waste the water that might stop flowing at any moment.
“Ptooey―!”
Then, he lathered up with disposable body shampoo and noisily washed his body and face. This time, as he was shampooing his hair, he heard a low chuckle.
Turning his head in confusion, he saw Eden putting a green Korean exfoliating mitt on his hand.
“Did you bring that to ask me to scrub you?”
Ha-jin quickly nodded at the question.
“Since we’re here, it’d be nice to get clean.”
He was pleased with the sensation of the foamy clouds running down his temples. After carefully finishing the rinse, Ha-jin took the Korean exfoliating mitt from Eden’s hand with a much fresher face.
“Turn around. I’ll do you first.”
“I’m okay. My skin is surprisingly sensitive.”
“Oh… is that so?”
“Do Ha-jin, turn around. I’ll do you.”
Ha-jin reluctantly handed the Korean exfoliating mitt back to him. As he dragged the plastic chair and awkwardly turned around, he closed his eyes tightly after discovering Eden’s erect penis. It was only natural that the back of his neck would burn.
The rough texture of the Korean exfoliating mitt touched his back. A sudden surge of tension caused him to clear his throat.
Ha-jin consciously turned his gaze to Pie, who was playing happily in the water. Just as he was calming his excitement with the comfort of Pie’s cheerful and innocent appearance, a hot touch reached his side. Ha-jin’s body stiffened.
Eden squeezed his weak side fat and began to scrub near his shoulder with his remaining hand. Ha-jin, who had lowered his head, glared at his half-erect penis, following Eden’s lead. The more his back tingled, the more his chest tickled.
“Why were you acting like that earlier?”
Ha-jin felt Eden’s breath on the back of his neck and asked, “Huh?”
“You were standing in front of the corpse, spaced out for a while.”
“Ah….”
The memory he had been trying to forget came back to him, and his heart sank for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, Ha-jin replied in a barely audible voice.
“The Zombie spoke.”
At that, the hand that had been running across his shoulder blades stopped.
“I know it sounds crazy, but it really spoke. The Baby kept looking for its mom.”
“…….”
“I thought it was a person, but when I looked closely, it was a Zombie. But after I killed it, I couldn’t tell if I had killed a person or a Zombie… so I was a little confused. I still think it’s a hallucination, but…”
Then, as if he had been waiting for it, Eden cut Ha-jin off.
“It’s probably not a hallucination. I’ve heard a similar story at a temple. A girlfriend became a Zombie and ran at him, calling his name.”
Ha-jin turned his head to look at him, his body shaking violently.
“Really?! Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I really thought it was nonsense back then.”
Eden continued, gently moving his hands again.
“But after hearing Do Ha-jin’s story today, I don’t think we need to give it too much meaning.”
Ha-jin blinked in confusion at his ambiguous words.
“…Why?”
“Looking for someone is close to an instinct. It’s not like the Zombie is moving its tongue of its own free will.”
“So you’re saying it could just be… a habit? Not like they have human intelligence?”
“I think they’re probably calling out the name of someone they used to say often when they were alive.”
Ha-jin slowly nodded, recalling the face of the Baby who had been shouting only one word without expression. Eden’s calm logic was quite comforting.
“Lift your arm.”
After that, Eden meticulously washed Ha-jin’s body, rummaging through his shoulder blades, armpits, and chest with his unrestrained hands. Ha-jin, who was reciting the national anthem in his head, carefully asked.
“Does it hurt a lot where I hit you earlier?”
He had been worried about it ever since he saw Eden wince while brushing his teeth.
“I’m fine.”
“Well, your cheekbone looked bruised, too.”
“I’m fine, so turn around. I’ll scrub your front, too.”
Ha-jin quickly shook his head, bringing his thighs together.
“No, the front is okay. I’ll do it.”
He hurriedly took the Korean exfoliating mitt from Eden and turned around, casually rubbing his chest. When the cold water touched his back, he belatedly came to his senses.
“Following you here was my choice, so Do Ha-jin doesn’t need to feel guilty.”
Eden said that and stroked Ha-jin’s softened back with his palm.
Ha-jin thought that the time had finally come to apologize, and he carefully chose his words. First, he would man up and take a hit, and then he would add a cheesy confession that he had missed him quite a bit, and maybe that would ease Jeong Tae-geon’s mind a little. He steeled his resolve and spoke quite resolutely.
“Jeong Tae-geon, hit me once, too. I mean it.”
He had carefully chosen his words, but there was no response from behind. Ha-jin swallowed nervously and cleaned his chest with the water in the basin. When the cold water touched his penis, his toes curled inward.
“Am I being oblivious?”
Then, along with a low murmur, he heard the sound of the faucet being turned off.
“Do Ha-jin.”
A deep, cavernous voice echoed through the bathhouse.
“Were you perhaps into getting hit?”
“Huh?”
“If that’s the case, I can accommodate you as much as you want. Come out when you’re done washing.”
With those words, Eden left Ha-jin with a dumbfounded face and walked out of the bathhouse.