By Zephyria 
As Eden patted him on the back, Ha-jin pushed him away with his limp fingertips.
“I’m okay, I think something I ate earlier is just sitting heavy.”
His voice, stifling the nausea, was tightly blocked. He turned his head again, as if even the strength to push away the hand patting his back had disappeared.
“Ugh…! Huh… haaa….”
Even after vomiting everything inside him, Ha-jin couldn’t easily get up. Eden, who had been watching him for a while, forcibly lifted him up, as if he couldn’t stand it any longer.
Ha-jin was dragged out and sat down under the sink. Eden, who had adjusted to the darkness, pulled the water in the washbasin and wiped Ha-jin’s messy mouth. Just in case, he rubbed his cheeks, but no tears came off.
Ha-jin, who washed his face so much that his top was wet, leaned against the wall, panting wearily. Eden sat opposite him, waiting for his breathing to calm down. The fishy smell of water brushed the tip of his nose.
Ha-jin wiped the water flowing under his chin with the back of his hand, biting his lip once and then releasing it.
“…I don’t think we should go to Neverland.”
“……”
“I can’t do anything that puts Jeong Tae-geon at risk anymore.”
“Are you confident you won’t regret it?”
The heart felt like it was dropping down at the merciless question. Ha-jin met Eden’s gaze, who was quietly watching him.
He would definitely regret it. But he still didn’t have the courage to face Jun-seok, who had become a Zombie, the courage to bury him himself, or the courage to accept the farewell.
Wouldn’t there be a day when he would become dull if he kept running away? Even though he knew it was impossible, he just wanted to vaguely avoid the misfortune in front of him right now.
Eden, who had gotten up, moved the washbasin away and cupped Ha-jin’s wet cheeks with both hands. His firm thumb pressed down on the dry under-eye area.
“I know.”
“……”
“Do Ha-jin can’t let his Hyung go like this.”
Ha-jin’s breath trembled at the slowly soothing words.
“Jeong Tae-geon, I’m…”
At that moment, the closed glass door of the bathroom opened wide. The two turned their heads at the same time. A man standing in the moonlight was seen limping into the bathroom. It was Hee-sung.
Ha-jin took Eden’s hands off his cheeks and got up. Hee-sung stood a few steps away from him and dropped his head powerlessly.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop….”
He mumbled, clutching his old shorts tightly as if he was anxious. He was catching his breath as if he had something to say, which was unusual. Soon, a resigned voice echoed in the space.
“Ha-jin Hyung. Could you please come with me to Neverland?”
Ha-jin’s eyebrows furrowed at the unexpected request. Hee-sung’s face was somehow empty, like a death row inmate about to be executed.
“Jun-seok becoming like that….”
“……”
“It’s all my fault.”
He knelt down again. His injured leg was awkwardly bent, and one shoulder was tilted crookedly.
❖ ❖ ❖
Ha-jin, who had been following the dawn seeping through the curtains with his eyes, got up. He couldn’t sleep a wink in the end.
‘Hyung, I want to let Jun-seok go in peace now. I don’t want to run away anymore.’
Those words kept ringing in his ears, and he couldn’t close his eyes. Hee-sung’s face, who was exhausted and really wanted to end it now, flickered before his eyes.
Last night, Hee-sung confessed everything that happened that day as if he was begging for forgiveness. He blamed Jun-seok’s death entirely on himself, and eventually buried his head on the floor and cried. Hee-soo, who heard the crying and ran over, grabbed his body and lifted him up, but Hee-sung’s tears did not stop.
‘It’s all my fault. All….’
In fact, Jun-seok’s death was no different from the countless deaths Ha-jin had witnessed so far. He knew it was just an unavoidable accident, but even so, if he was given the opportunity to blame someone, Ha-jin would naturally want to resent Hee-sung in front of him.
Why did he drag Jun-seok outside, how could he run away leaving him behind, why only he survived….
But for a long time, the person who mourned Jun-seok’s death instead of him was none other than Hee-sung. Hee-sung was the one who held Jun-seok in his heart, and Hee-sung was the one who remembered him with tears.
Ha-jin felt sad about the reality that he couldn’t completely resent Hee-sung.
‘I can find Jun-seok. I know where he is… I know, Hyung.’
Hee-sung, who had been suffering from guilt and sadness, was now trying to let Jun-seok go. In the end, Ha-jin couldn’t refuse his request to go to Neverland.
“Are you awake?”
A large hand was placed on Ha-jin’s shoulder as he turned around. Eden, who was gently massaging his shoulders as if he was massaging them, gave him a Bird Kiss on the back of his neck. As he shrugged his neck and turned his head, Eden hugged Ha-jin tightly as if he had been waiting.
“You seemed to toss and turn a lot at night, did you get any sleep?”
“Yes.”
Even with the insincere lie, Eden nodded slowly. After holding Ha-jin for a while, he let go with a short “hmm” sigh.
The two left Pie sound asleep and packed their bags simply.
“We’re coming back, so you don’t have to take everything.”
Ha-jin pretended not to hear Eden’s words and packed even the poker cards he had saved into his bag. He pinned the silver brooch that Jun-seok had given him as a gift on his chest. It didn’t match the short-sleeved T-shirt at all, but he didn’t care and stuck the tweezers in.
He put the magnet he had brought from the independent bookstore for Jun-seok in his pocket and went outside.
From early in the morning, the three siblings were sitting around the table in front of the trailer.
When Ha-jin came out, they got up from their seats as if they had been waiting. Hee-soo looked at Ha-jin’s complexion and handed him an egg and a can of cola that she had prepared separately.
“Let’s eat and go.”
Ha-jin politely refused, saying he had no appetite. She repeatedly offered him the egg with a regretful look, but reluctantly withdrew her hand.
Before leaving, they reviewed the route one last time and made a plan.
“The place where Jun-seok was bitten… was in front of the Sky Cruise. There’s a big restaurant next to it, so I think we should hide there first.”
“I know where that is too. I’ve already killed all the Zombies in the restaurant, so it’ll be easy to get in. But the front door is blocked, so we have to go through the back door.”
“Are there any other rides in front of the cruise?”
“There’s a Ferris wheel, but it’s been closed for a long time, so there’s no one there in the first place. The entrance is also blocked.”
“What is Do Jun-seok’s expected route?”
“I drew it here, if you look at this map….”
The outline of the operation began to take shape with Hee-sung’s active leadership and Eden’s sharp questions. Ha-jin, who still couldn’t believe Jun-seok’s death, just listened blankly to the story.
They set up the situation up to Plan D in case it became dangerous. The meeting ended in an hour.
In the meantime, Hee-joon rolled up a white curtain board and hung it on the back of the motorcycle. Eden and Ha-jin got on the bike, and Hee-soo and Hee-sung, who were standing next to them, also finished preparing to leave. Eden looked at Hee-soo, who was holding the steering wheel, and asked.
“Are you really okay?”
“I have no choice. It’s my fault for meeting the wrong brother.”
She, who had volunteered to be the driver instead of Hee-sung, who had injured his leg, shrugged her shoulders with a sigh. Hee-sung grabbed her waist timidly with a very dejected face.
At that moment, Pie peeked out from the slightly opened door of the camper. When he made eye contact with Ha-jin, he jumped out like an arrow as if he had been waiting.
“Woof!”
Ha-jin gently stroked Pie’s excited back and said in a locked voice.
“I’ll be back in a bit, so listen well.”
Hee-joon grabbed Pie’s body and led him away, sensing the situation. Soon, the bike carrying the four people slowly left the entrance of the campsite.
Under the old trees that covered the sky with branches and leaves, the motorcycle increased its speed. Hee-soo signaled to Eden and Ha-jin, narrowly avoiding the traps and bombs installed in various places.
“Move aside! Be careful, there’s a trap in front of that rock!”
Her voice was drowned out by the sound of birds suddenly flying up noisily. Eden sped up a little more and followed closely beside her. Hee-sung, who was holding Hee-soo’s waist, looked back with a nervous face, and he shouted and asked.
“Do Zombies get caught in traps?”
“Huh?”
Hee-sung asked back blankly, then let out a short exclamation, “Ah.”
“This is for catching humans, not Zombies. It’s been quiet lately, but there are often guys targeting the campsite…!”
In the meantime, Ha-jin captured the entire scenery of the forest and the sections where the traps were placed in his head as if taking a picture. Soon, the bike quickly escaped the forest. The four wheels rushed into the entrance of Neverland without hesitation.