By Zephyria 
Ha-jin could finally understand Eden’s unusually indifferent attitude while they were trapped in the warehouse.
No wonder the uncle who was separated from his nephew was acting so strangely relaxed; he must have had something to rely on. He, who had been inwardly anxious, let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.
“You could have told me sooner…”
Eden shrugged at the reproachful remark.
“Judging by Lieutenant Colonel So’s attitude, there’s a high probability he’ll try to keep us here. Are you okay with that, Do Ha-jin? Even if it means staying here for a while?”
“…What are you planning to do while we stay?”
“We’ll have to see what we can get out of it. We might be able to acquire supplies or information necessary for survival, and we might be able to avenge Park Chun-beom’s grudge along the way.”
Suspicious eyes swept over Eden’s sharp profile.
“Just be honest and say the latter is your real intention.”
“I like that you’re quick on the uptake.”
…Never mind. Ha-jin turned his head and calmly stared at the small flower placed clumsily on the grave.
“I feel uneasy about leaving like this too. Of course, I can’t stay long, considering my brother and the others.”
“It won’t take more than three days. Let’s try to resolve it within that time.”
Eden’s gaze, which met Ha-jin’s, turned to somewhere behind him. He slowly began to speak.
“Do Ha-jin, do you trust me?”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Promise me you’ll quietly follow whatever I do from now on.”
Ha-jin shuddered at the somewhat eerie warning.
“N-No, I don’t want to.”
“Why?”
“You’re just suspicious.”
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
Lieutenant Colonel So, leading his subordinates, was approaching them. Eden clicked his tongue, watching the Lieutenant Colonel stop near the fence.
“Anyway, I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Huh? What yes… Ugh!”
A firm hand suddenly wrapped around Ha-jin’s waist. Ha-jin, awkwardly grabbed, trembled in horror. The fingertips gripping his lean waist tightened.
In that state, Eden dragged Ha-jin towards the Lieutenant Colonel. Lieutenant Colonel So spread his arms towards them as they re-entered the pasture.
“Oh, you’re here! You’ve been through a lot!”
He was using informal speech just a moment ago, and now he’s using formal speech again. Ha-jin, struggling in his grasp, glared unpleasantly at the fickle Lieutenant Colonel So.
“By the way, the magician seems to be in a lot of discomfort?”
Lieutenant Colonel So, wearing a greasy smile, shifted his gaze to Ha-jin’s waist. He was still being held in Eden’s arms.
“As you can see, he’s not in good condition. He was tied up all night, and he seems to have a slight fever.”
Eden, who answered instead, put the shovel down on the ground and gently stroked Ha-jin’s left cheek with his fingertips.
“……!”
Ha-jin’s face instantly stiffened at the sudden, sticky skinship.
The Lieutenant Colonel and his subordinates, who were watching, gasped as if surprised by the unexpected scene.
‘What is this…?’
Frozen by his inexplicable actions, Ha-jin swallowed hard and racked his brain. In that moment of silence, countless gazes were exchanged.
Lieutenant Colonel So, awkwardly composing his expression, cleared his throat and asked.
“Ahem…! Have you considered my offer?”
“Ah, we appreciate your offer of convenience, but we’re going to leave now.”
As planned, Eden chose to politely decline first. Then the Lieutenant Colonel shook his index finger, which he had raised towards the sky, from side to side.
“I thought I explained it quite gently, but it seems it wasn’t conveyed properly. Why don’t you come over here for a moment?”
Ha-jin looked back at Eden. The distance between them was so close that their noses almost touched. After exchanging a silent conversation, they quietly followed the Lieutenant Colonel.
Even while moving, the rock-solid arm didn’t let go of Ha-jin, who was constantly fidgeting. The more he tried to escape, the more strength he lost, and in the end, he endured the piercing gazes around him and moved as if walking in the air.
Although he wasn’t short, standing next to Eden made his body sway like a paper doll. His face flushed hotly. He couldn’t tell whether the fever was from pain or from embarrassment.
But he had to do what he had to do. Even while moving, Ha-jin quickly grasped the geography of the Ranch. After passing the tadpole pond and the hay storage, and moving another 300m, a 3m-high temporary wall, with orange sandbags piled up, came into view.
He couldn’t hide his surprise at the fortress, which must have required a considerable amount of labor. In the middle of the wall, there was a small rectangular hole just large enough for one person to pass through.
A soldier, who was stiffly guarding the entrance of the fortress, saluted the Lieutenant Colonel with a knife-hand salute. As they entered, dozens of tents spread out on the wide lawn and four one-story accommodation buildings came into view.
“This is…”
The Lieutenant Colonel proudly introduced the space.
“This is currently used as housing, and it’s a remodeled experiential campsite that was run by Misan Ranch. It’s quite spacious, isn’t it? Citizens used to stay here before.”
They passed the empty tents, like tombs of the dead, and entered the Lieutenant Colonel’s residence. The one-story cement building had an open studio structure with no separate rooms. On the left was a bed, in the center was an open kitchen, and on the right were two desks.
Ha-jin quickly escaped from Eden’s arms, taking advantage of the loosened grip around his waist. The Lieutenant Colonel left his subordinates a few steps away and led the two to the dining table.
Soon, a glass of iced tea was placed in front of Eden and Ha-jin. Ha-jin hurriedly put the ice water in his mouth. The sensation of coolness, which he felt for the first time in a long time, pressed down on his temples.
As the water he couldn’t swallow flowed down his chin, Eden, who was sitting right next to him, raised his hand and thickly wiped his chin.
“Ugh.”
Ha-jin turned his face away from the unknown contact that had started again.
‘Is this guy really crazy?’
He glared and signaled him to stop, and he smiled, dimpling his right cheek. Just as he felt a chill at the dark-hearted smile, the Lieutenant Colonel banged on the desk as if to tell them to focus.
“Since you’re not going to stay here, do you have somewhere else to go?”
“I have family in Dragon Cloud City. I appreciate your kindness, but I need to hurry and move as soon as possible.”
Half of it was true, and half of it was false. That was because Eden was the one who answered.
The Lieutenant Colonel pulled at his thick lips with his fingers as if contemplating for a moment, then clicked his tongue briefly.
“Tsk. I understand, but I recommend staying here for a while and watching the situation. You might hear good news soon.”
Eden, who had a piece of ice in his mouth, crushed it with a crunch, staring intently at the Lieutenant Colonel’s eyes. The Lieutenant Colonel, as if Eden was showing interest in his words, added in a boastful voice.
“According to what I received from the higher-ups, the zombie situation in the Seoul metropolitan area will soon be resolved. Dragon Cloud City, where you say your family is, isn’t far either. Rather than moving rashly and dying a dog’s death to zombies, it’s much better to stay in a safe place and watch the situation.”
Bang! Ba-bang!
At that moment, an unexpected gunshot was heard. Surprised, Ha-jin gripped the water glass, which was covered in water droplets, tightly.
“Ah, don’t worry about it. It seems like another zombie or Rioters has appeared nearby.”
The Lieutenant Colonel waved his hand, telling them not to mind. Eden laughed inwardly. The previous statement was no different from admitting that they were the ones who killed Chun-beom.
‘Besides, no one can fire without my orders. It’s time for us to conserve bullets too.’
Unlike the Lieutenant Colonel’s claim, the subordinates here had the authority to shoot on their own without his orders, and the Lieutenant Colonel didn’t seem to mind that either.
Ha-jin also noticed the contradiction and was grinding his teeth inwardly. It was a moment when Eden’s words that the lies lacked sincerity felt especially real.
Eden asked the Lieutenant Colonel in a monotone voice.
“I don’t think there’s such a thing as a free lunch. I don’t understand why you’re offering to help me find the Rioters who killed my colleague, or why you’re offering to provide a place to stay. Is there something else you want?”
“As I said before, there are a lot fewer people here since the bloodbath. The land is vast, and we don’t have enough manpower to deploy everywhere. Losing a talent who can even make weapons would be a huge loss for us.”
“Are you sure there are no other motives?”
While the two were talking, Ha-jin subtly scanned the Lieutenant Colonel’s room.
“Heh heh. I quite like that you’re so suspicious… I guarantee that there’s no safer place than here right now, no matter where you go. Then I’ll assume you’re staying.”
The Lieutenant Colonel, who had finished the conversation as he pleased, clapped his hands and got up from his seat.
“My subordinate will guide you to your accommodations. Corporal Shin, guide them to Building A and Building D, one person each. You must be very tired today, so give them work to do from tomorrow.”
Ha-jin noticed the intention to separate him and Eden and anxiously rolled his eyes. At that moment, Eden stood up and blocked Corporal Shin, who was approaching.
“We’ll stay in the same building.”
The Lieutenant Colonel, with his hands behind his back, narrowed his thick brow.
“Well, there’s only one bed left in each building, so it’ll be uncomfortable. It’s better to stay separately…”
“If that’s the reason, then it doesn’t matter even more. We can sleep in the same bed.”
Ha-jin blinked, trying to ignore the creeping anxiety that was spreading throughout his body. Even though he had poured ice water into his throat, his entire esophagus felt parched.
“Haha, you’re joking… How can two grown men sleep in the same bed?”
The Lieutenant Colonel, who had returned to informal mode again, laughed awkwardly. Eden stood up Ha-jin, who was sitting, as if he had been waiting for it.
“That won’t be difficult.”
Then he calmly placed his left palm over Ha-jin’s right hand, which was awkwardly dangling.
‘No way.’
Each of his firm knuckles began to tightly ensnare Ha-jin’s fingers one by one like a spider web.
“As you can see, we’re in this kind of relationship.”
The redness on Ha-jin’s face disappeared in an instant.