By Zephyria 
Was it because it had been raining frequently for a while? The air clinging to the mucous membranes of my nose was incredibly humid. The cicada cries echoing, “Maem— maem—,” were also unusually intense. It had already been six hours since we entered the Hwajeong-Insu Road.
Byeol’s face, his small hands covering his ears, was contorted as if in pain.
“It’s noisy, noisy—!”
The boy sighed, actively expressing his distress. However, regardless of Byeol’s complaints, the immature adults continued their conversation, their voices rising.
“Jeffrey, did you really eat your manners for breakfast?”
“Hey, we ate already, rice.”
“Don’t pretend you don’t understand only when it’s inconvenient! I clearly told you to change your socks. And this T-shirt too! How many times do I have to tell you to change at least once every two days?”
“I wore this, yesterday! It’s new.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been wearing the same T-shirt for three days already! I can’t stand the smell when I’m near Jeffrey, you know? It’s disrespectful to your companions!”
“Unni, there’s a zombie coming!”
“Tonight, make sure you change your socks and clothes. Jeffrey, how many T-shirts do you have left in your bag?”
“Have, two.”
“Are they clean? We stopped at the gas station yesterday and used the bathroom.”
“Nope.”
“What do you mean, nope?!”
“Unni, Jeffrey! Zombie coming!”
“Uh, just a moment, Byeol. The adults are talking.”
“There are five coming over there, you idiots!”
“What?”
“Holy Crap!!”
It was a complete mess. In the midst of it all, Byeol naturally took Mi-so and Jeffrey’s luggage and hid in the bushes. Mi-so quickly assumed an attack stance and skillfully dealt with the zombies approaching with their entrails spilling out, along with Jeffrey.
Although they had been arguing frequently lately, when fighting Aberrants, the two were a fantastic duo. When Mi-so knocked down a zombie with a roundhouse kick, Jeffrey, who was waiting, took over and blew its head off. As they took them down one by one like playing whack-a-mole, their bodies were soon covered in sweat and blood.
“See, Jeffrey. Your clothes got all dirty from fighting, so you have to change them today. Got it?”
She couldn’t tolerate Jeffrey’s unfunny jokes, let alone the stench that came from him all the time, so she gave him another firm reminder.
“Got it.”
“Don’t just say you got it, really do it.”
“But have not. Other clothes, same this.”
“Haa… I’m going crazy, this guy.”
The three of them spent most of their days like this. They would argue for various reasons, and when a zombie popped out from somewhere, they would join forces to defeat it. As they bickered and moved forward, time flew by. Today was already the tenth day since they had parted ways with the group at Misan Ranch.
Mi-so, frowning at the murderous heat, suddenly looked up. She noticed an advertising sign that read ‘Premium Outlet.’
‘There’s an outlet?’
A look of relief spread across her face, which had been worried about Jeffrey’s smelly clothes all day. Looking back at Jeffrey with a much more relaxed expression, Mi-so coaxed him in a gentle voice this time.
“Jeffrey. It’s almost evening, so how about we rest there today? And get you some new clothes.”
Jeffrey yawned as if he was annoyed and reluctantly nodded.
“Unni. But when can we see Ha-jin Hyung and Eden Hyung?”
Byeol, who was drumming his knee with his fist as if his legs hurt, sighed and asked.
“Hmm. I don’t know… At this distance, Dragon Cloud City is less than a week away, so if you just hang in there a little longer, you’ll be able to see them.”
“What if the Hyungs arrived first?”
Without Ha-jin to guide them, and having lost the map earlier, the three’s march was not progressing easily. They had wasted several days by entering the wrong road, so they couldn’t rule out the possibility that Eden and Ha-jin had arrived in Dragon Cloud City first.
“If the Hyungs arrived first, they’ll be waiting patiently for our Byeol.”
Mi-so calmly stroked the boy’s head as if to reassure him. Byeol, looking scruffy, grinned and nodded.
“I miss Ha-jin Hyung so much.”
“Eden Hyung will be sad if he hears that?”
“But I’m going to marry Ha-jin Hyung… so I can’t help it.”
“Even so, the age difference is too big, Byeol.”
Byeol, who had become sulky at Mi-so’s indifferent remark, pouted his small lips.
“Still, I’m going to marry Ha-jin Hyung.”
“What’s so good about him?”
“He’s handsome, and he’s good at magic.”
“I don’t know, maybe it’s because I see him every day… Is Do Ha-jin that handsome?”
Perhaps because the small and rustic appearance of his childhood was still vivid in her memory, Mi-so felt an unbearable awkwardness whenever someone praised Ha-jin’s appearance. In fact, even when the reclusive magician had dozens of fan accounts, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“Yes! Why don’t you know when you see him every day, Unni? Eden Hyung also said Ha-jin Hyung is handsome.”
Mi-so raised her eyebrows this time as if she was surprised. That Eden, who was always stiff like an emotionless robot, actually praised Do Ha-jin’s appearance.
“Jeong Tae-geon praised Ha-jin? When did he say that?”
“Um, I don’t know. He said it a lot. Eden Hyung said Ha-jin Hyung is pretty… pretty and handsome. He always said that when he talked to me.”
“…He always said that?”
“Yes! Even when I sleep at night. He said his eyes are pretty, and um, his lips are pink.”
Mi-so’s head tilted more and more to the side at the unbelievable story. Come to think of it, Ha-jin had also said in passing, “Jeong Tae-geon is the most handsome person I’ve ever seen.”
‘What is this?’
When did they start fighting whenever they made eye contact, and now they’re busy praising each other’s appearance where they can’t be seen? Mi-so, lost in thought at the unknown discomfort, glanced sideways. For some reason, Jeffrey’s face was just as crumpled as hers.
‘What… is this ominous feeling.’
An inexplicable unease began to cling to her body as thickly as the humid air.
❖ ❖ ❖
Darkness fell around them. Mi-so’s face, looking at the outlet’s sign with a flashlight, was more serious than ever.
Functional clothes that can absorb sweat would be useful, so it wouldn’t be bad to go to the area where sports stores are concentrated.
“Byeol, stay close to Unni, okay?”
“Yes!”
“Jeffrey, don’t stray off the path and stay next to me. Our goal is Area A here. We’re only going to look around the stores in this area, not other stores. Okay?”
Jeffrey nodded as if he understood, tapping his chest. But while Mi-so was distracted by taking care of Byeol, he stepped into the building first, using the search as an excuse.
“Hey, Mi-so, wait here. I go fast!”
Unlike Mi-so’s request, he headed to Area B upstairs. It was because his favorite Na*ki brand store was there.
Mi-so’s face cracked as she watched Jeffrey, who had already run far away. She picked up Byeol and hurriedly followed Jeffrey.
“Jeffrey, are you going to disobey me?!”
She lowered her voice as much as possible, but even that small shout echoed between the buildings. Jeffrey had just stepped onto the escalator full of corpses and went up to the second floor.
“Mi-so. Don’t worry! Dangerous. Go outside. Or come up together?”
“What do you mean, come up! Just come down to the first floor!”
“Don’t fight! You idiot assholes!”
Then, a dog barked, “Woof!” from somewhere. Byeol screamed again in surprise.
“If you fight, the zombies will come! You assholes!”
“Byeol? Lower your voice?!”
Mi-so, who was in a hurry because she was afraid that zombies would gather due to the chaotic noise, was about to run out of the front door with Byeol.
“Yun Mi-so!”
A familiar voice suddenly stopped her. She almost stumbled and fell from the recoil.
“Gasp…!”
Mi-so, who barely straightened her upper body, slowly turned her body in the direction of the sound. Then Byeol, who was in her arms, muttered in disbelief.
“Hyungs…?”
She raised her flashlight and illuminated the dark distance. As Byeol said, two men who looked exactly like Eden and Ha-jin were standing far away, holding lamps and staring blankly at them.
Because she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, Mi-so was frozen in place for a while as if she had encountered a ghost. Jeffrey, sensing the unusual atmosphere, immediately ran down to the first floor.
[What’s wrong?]
He turned his head, following the gaze of Mi-so and Byeol, who had frozen like statues. Soon, the figures of two familiar people came into his view. As he discovered Ha-jin and Eden standing like grim reapers, surprise gradually spread across Jeffrey’s face.
He pointed to the distance where the two were standing and cursed in disbelief.
[Fucking hell, this doesn’t make sense…?]