By Zephyria 
As the Transport plane cut through the sky with fluid movements, Ha-jin stared blankly at the burning forests, collapsed buildings, and Neverland, where he had gone to meet Jun-seok.
The relief of having escaped safely was fleeting; sadness, regret, and an inexplicable sorrow began to settle in his charcoal-colored eyes as he looked down at the ruined city.
The last face of Chun-beom, who had coughed up blood and died, overlapped with the tiny figures of cars and Zombies. As they passed over the ash-covered mountain range, Jun-seok’s bitter silhouette, wandering aimlessly through the ruins, was superimposed. He closed his eyes in anguish, and this time, Mi-so’s sad face, as they said their final goodbyes, lingered in his mind.
‘I’m going to survive, even if it’s just for you. So you have to survive too.’
Ha-jin had finally succeeded in surviving, but his heart ached as if it would tear apart at the reality that he couldn’t fully rejoice. He wondered if the survival he had gained by leaving behind the deaths of his loved ones was truly worthwhile. Just as such weak thoughts flooded his mind, Eden, who had been exchanging a few words with the pilot, approached Ha-jin.
He was wearing his seatbelt and looked back at the silent Ha-jin. The sight of his lover’s cheeks wet with tears made him look as forlorn as a lost child. Instead of asking why he was crying, Eden offered a simple comfort, as always.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
At that moment, Pie, who had been lying at Ha-jin’s feet, gently licked their calves. The ticklish sensation finally brought a faint smile to Ha-jin’s face, and he stroked Pie’s long head as Pie tried to soothe him.
The round eyes still held innocent vitality. Before those pure eyes, any sin seemed to lose its power and crumble away in vain. A warm warmth began to settle on his heart, where a cold wind had been blowing.
Ha-jin looked back and forth between Eden and Pie and took a deep breath he had been holding in. As he repeatedly reminded himself of who was by his side and what life he had saved, it felt as if a ray of light was seeping into his depressed mind.
He looked down at the helicopter again. This time, unexpected faces came to mind one by one over the shimmering waves of the sea reflecting the red sunset. The old couple at the motel, the Cult Leader’s son, the police officer, Jeffrey and Byeol, the twin siblings and Hee-sung, the people at the botanical garden….
Many people he had encountered at the boundary between life and death appeared and disappeared in the fierce wind. Despite experiencing countless deaths, Ha-jin suddenly realized that he had not hesitated to save someone.
Perhaps it was because he instinctively knew that survival was meaningful in itself.
Ha-jin clenched the badly scratched silver brooch in his hand and heaved his chest as if he were a newborn taking his first breath.
❖ ❖ ❖
[―Control tower, this is Storm 5, Storm 5. Approaching the New Washington aircraft carrier. Currently flying at an altitude of 500 feet, remaining distance is 10 miles. Requesting landing instructions, over.]
Ha-jin listened to the pilot’s disciplined voice as he communicated with the command center, and he gazed at the large aircraft carrier approaching in the distance. He was now holding Eden’s hand tightly.
[―Storm 5, this is the command center. The weather is clear and the deck condition is good. Maintain current course and reduce altitude to 300 feet. Stand by for final approach instructions.]
The massive aircraft carrier, like a city, impossibly born from human hands, was sailing leisurely on the sea. The huge ship, at least several hundred meters long, had a dark gray flight deck to help aircraft take off and land.
The helicopter, having received its final instructions, began to descend. Ha-jin’s heart pounded fiercely at the thrilling sensation of riding a roller coaster.
Eden looked back at Ha-jin, who was holding his hand tightly and swallowing hard, and gave him a gentle smile.
[―Storm 5, southwest wind blowing at 10 knots. Maintain approach path and continue descent.]
Soon after, a man in yellow clothes, waiting on the deck, waved a flag and signaled. The Transport plane landed safely on the deck.
[―Storm 5, welcome back to the USS New Washington.]
With the end of the solemn guidance voice, the helicopter proceeded with the shutdown procedure. Meanwhile, Ha-jin took his first steps onto the aircraft carrier with Eden. He could see crew members and soldiers busily moving around on the deck, which was bathed in a dazzling sunset.
The sea breeze was strong. Ha-jin swallowed hard as he looked at the flags fluttering here and there. The ship was so huge that it felt like he was standing on a large island.
As he looked around with a nervous expression, a man in military uniform approached Eden. The man, who appeared to be somewhat older, saluted and greeted him politely. Eden also saluted in response.
Ha-jin gazed up at Eden’s shining profile, recalling the Eden of the past who had been active in Delta Force.
[You’ve worked hard, CTO. The Transport plane is scheduled to arrive the day after tomorrow, so please stay comfortably on the ship until then. Blue Works will contact you soon.]
With those words, the man handed Eden a thick telephone. Eden led the gaunt Ha-jin to the living quarters that the soldier had guided them to. As they headed to the bedroom, the two passed by the situation room where the emergency display system was in operation.
Unidentifiable graphs were brilliantly displayed on a large monitor. In front of it, a large number of soldiers, probably over 100, were busy manipulating something.
Ha-jin, who was watching them with curious eyes, suddenly felt a heat rising in his body. As the tension eased, fatigue rushed in rapidly. At that moment, Eden gave Ha-jin a short kiss on the forehead.
“Now that we’re safe, relax and get some rest.”
“What about Jeong Tae-geon?”
“I’ll be back after contacting the company for a bit.”
Eden laid Ha-jin and Pie down on a three-story bed with numbers on it and got up again. Ha-jin blinked slowly as he watched his retreating figure.
A middle-aged man was seen approaching Eden’s side. The man shook hands with Eden and bowed repeatedly as if he was glad to see him. According to the faint conversation, he seemed to be a chief researcher at another defense company.
Ha-jin felt as if he had been dropped into another world in an instant. He curled his tired body into the white blanket, but he didn’t think he would fall asleep easily.
[―Eden. What took you so long? I thought you were really dead and almost gave up.]
[Why would I die? I told you to keep an eye on the channels coming in from Korea.]
Eden listened to Hugo’s excited voice and sat down in a corner of the situation room.
[How’s the situation in the States?]
[―Is that what matters now? Are you okay? Where have you been staying all this time? I heard you took a helicopter with an Asian guy. Who is he?]
Eden held his aching head and chuckled briefly at the barrage of questions.
[Ask me one at a time.]
[―Is that funny?]
[Your tone is quite disrespectful to your superior.]
[―Don’t act like a superior only at times like this.]
Hugo, who had been making a fuss for a while, calmed his breathing and said in a calm voice.
[―Fortunately, New York also succeeded in the initial lockdown. Washington is still having a hard time, but the research institute is safe.]
[Both Texas and Arkansas?]
[―Most cities are safe except for Washington. Of course, there are many places that have been devastated and are being rebuilt.]
Eden, who let out a long sigh, stared at the large electronic display in front of him.
[Are Jeffrey and my nephew safe, did they arrive safely?]
[―Yeah, yeah, they’re safe. I even went to pick them up myself back then… Oops!]
At that moment, a short scream was heard, followed by a bickering sound over the phone. Eden shook his head, catching Jeffrey’s shout. As expected, a very excited voice soon rang loudly in his ears.
[―Eden!! You… you! You’re safe?! Are you hurt anywhere!]
[My ears hurt. Turn down the decibels.]
[―You bad bastard, do you know how worried I was?!]
[Is that why you sent your Employee ID to Do Ha-jin?]
[―W, well, it’s good that you met safely. By the way, did Ha-jin come safely too? What happened to his brother, did you save him?]
[Do Ha-jin is safe. Only the two of us were on the helicopter.]
A sigh of pity was heard from the other side at the concise answer. Jeffrey, who had been unable to speak for a while, cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
[―Ahem, anyway, I just called your Hyung. Byeol was jumping for joy when he heard that you two had arrived.]
[Thanks.]
After talking for a long time, Eden let out a tired breath and hung up the phone. He pressed his temples and suddenly cast his gaze on the blue tape that he hadn’t removed from his left arm.
A smile broke out as he remembered Ha-jin’s round crown, who had told him to be careful because it was the last one, and had wrapped his arm with a roughly made magazine. Eden picked up the phone, got up from his seat, and hurried to the room where Ha-jin was waiting.