Even Zombies Have Fandoms

Chapter 7

Throughout their walk, the faces of the two were remarkably calm, to the point of appearing cold. However, that composure shattered the moment they entered the command center and locked the door. Kyungho burst into tears, and Junwoo, who had been biting his lips until they were ragged, also broke down.

They embraced each other and cried until they were exhausted. Then, when Seokjae returned, they remembered they needed to greet him and did their best to compose themselves.

Once they reached the second floor, they pressed their faces against the window to observe the outside. They poured all their attention out the window, ready to open the door the moment Seokjae returned.

Even after arriving at their hideout, they didn’t rest for a moment, pacing by the window, eagerly waiting for Seokjae to come. But.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes…

As time passed without any sign of Seokjae, their faces grew increasingly stained with anxiety. The absence of a reliable adult loomed as a terrifying fear for the two minors.

Eventually, when the waiting time exceeded twenty minutes, tears began to flow from Kyungho’s eyes once more. Junwoo’s eyes also gradually reddened.

“Huh?”

At that moment, while tears dripped down his face, Kyungho, who had not taken his eyes off the window, spotted a blurry figure in the distance. Worried he might be mistaken, he strained his swollen eyes and pressed his face against the glass.

“What, what is it… Why?”

Even though he had already cried a lot, Junwoo felt embarrassed to show his tear-streaked face to his friend Kyungho, so he secretly wiped his tears with the back of his hand and looked up.

“Over there! Over there, hyung is coming!”

“What? Really?”

Excited by the awaited news, Junwoo roughly shoved Kyungho aside to check the direction he was looking. Indeed, just as Kyungho said, Seokjae was running down the alley.

With a bright smile as if he hadn’t just been crying, Junwoo dashed down to the first floor. Kyungho, who had been knocked to the ground, hurriedly got up and followed.

“What’s going on? Is it broken?”

Standing in front of the command center, adjusting his heavy bag, Seokjae frowned at the shutter that was automatically rising before he could announce his arrival.

“Hyung!”

“Hyung!”

In that moment, familiar faces suddenly popped out from beneath the partially opened shutter. As soon as he saw them, Seokjae realized why the shutter had opened so quickly and let out a chuckle.

“Hyung, why are you so late!”

“Come on in, hyung!”

“Yeah, thanks, but I need to get inside, so could you move aside a bit?”

After receiving a warm welcome, Seokjae gently patted both of their heads with the hand he had raised to knock on the shutter before finally entering the command center.

“I thought I’d never see you again…”

“I told you I would come.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Aren’t you hungry? Should I boil some ramen?”

“Did you guys eat?”

“How could we eat without you, hyung…”

Kyungho and Junwoo, who had been hovering around him, immediately began to ask questions as soon as Seokjae set his bag down.

Despite having just escaped a life-threatening situation, Seokjae showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, he smiled as if finding the tear-streaked faces of the kids adorable and answered each question.

“You must have been hungry.”

“You’re hungry too, right? Should I boil some water right now?”

Wanting to be of help, Junwoo reached for the pantry, but Seokjae grabbed his arm.

“I appreciate it, but how about we wash up first? We all look terrible.”

“Oh… now that you mention it.”

“Then let’s wash up quickly and eat!”

Only then did the two realize the discomfort they felt all over and nodded vigorously in agreement.

After a little while, the three emerged from the shower, their faces relaxed from the warm water, looking more languid than before.

“Ah, that felt refreshing… I can’t even imagine what would have happened if the water hadn’t come out.”

“Right? Thank goodness the electricity didn’t go out either. I guess they’re still keeping an eye on things outside.”

“It would be nice if they didn’t just keep an eye on us but also sent a rescue team.”

“Junwoo…”

“Oh, I’m just saying. I’m not feeling down, so lighten up.”

“Guys, I found the locker key.”

While the two were talking, Seokjae, who had been looking around the changing room, picked up a basket that was sitting on top of a locker.

“Already?”

“Why didn’t you look for it with us…?”

“It was right there on top, so it didn’t take long to find. It’s fine, so let’s hurry and get dressed.”

“Okay.”

“Sure.”

Nodding, the two immediately began rummaging through the lockers with Seokjae. Their clothes were too dirty with sweat and dust to wear again.

“Hyung, is that the biggest size?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t it going to rip if you stretch even a little?”

“Hmm, I don’t think it’s that bad.”

During this process, Seokjae’s toned body made the ordinary t-shirt look almost like compression wear, drawing envious gazes from the two.

“Ah! I’m even hungrier now that I’ve washed up.”

“Just remember, it’s one serving per person.”

“I know. I’m not an idiot.”

“Guys, let’s eat quickly. It’s going to get cold.”

The three, now clean, prepared dinner with the cup noodles they had salvaged and the instant rice from the pantry. Although the amount was insufficient for the two growing boys and the larger Seokjae, they had to be satisfied with filling their stomachs to some extent, not knowing when they would get to eat again.

After finishing their somewhat unsatisfactory meal and tidying up together, the three finally had a proper rest. Compared to other days, they had physically and mentally endured much more, so Kyungho and Junwoo, half-lying on the bench, were already heavy with sleep.

Just as the two were dozing off, enjoying a brief moment of peace, Seokjae, who was sitting alone in an office chair and staring at the ceiling, called out to them.

“Hey, guys.”

“Yeah?”

“What is it, hyung?”

The two answered in a drowsy, half-asleep voice. Seokjae shifted his gaze to them and spoke calmly.

“I think I need to step out for a bit early tomorrow morning. You two will be okay, right?”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you mean?”

At the unexpected news, Kyungho and Junwoo shot up, wide-eyed, as if they had just woken up.

“What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Junwoo approached Seokjae with a shocked expression. Seokjae, trying to reassure him, calmly added, “I just need to check on something. It won’t take long.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just around here.”

“So, where around here?”

Because the answer was vague, Junwoo asked again. Seokjae cleared his throat briefly, indicating he wouldn’t provide any more information.

“I’m not going far.”

And with that response, it became clear he wouldn’t be giving any further details.

“Then I want to go with you.”

Junwoo gave up on getting a proper answer. Instead, he requested something else as a backup.

“That’s not possible.”

“Why not!”

Withholding both the location and the purpose while refusing to let him accompany him made Junwoo raise his voice.

“It’s not something very dangerous, right?”

“Of course not. I’ll be back soon.”

Kyungho, who had been listening to their conversation from behind, asked, leaving his friend behind, and Seokjae smiled with a strange expression.

“Hey! Lee Kyungho!”

Seeing Kyungho’s attitude as if he were allowing Seokjae to go off on his own, Junwoo looked at him with betrayal in his eyes.

“Do you think he would give up just because we try to stop him?”

“W-well…”

But after hearing Kyungho’s words, Junwoo found himself at a loss for words. The answer had already been clear from Seokjae’s resolute demeanor.

He always prioritized and cared for the two, but there was one thing he would never compromise on: their safety. It would have been nice if he had at least consulted them before making a decision. However, he had a tendency to decide things alone and then inform them afterward.

So, from the moment he drew a firm line this time, Junwoo knew that no matter what he said, there would be no compromise.

Normally, Junwoo would have expressed dissatisfaction when Seokjae avoided answering, but he would have eventually given up and stepped back. However, only a few hours had passed since Seokjae had returned alive. Junwoo was afraid that if Seokjae went out alone this time, he might not come back.

“And honestly… I can’t let you go because of what happened today.”

“Hey! That was just a one-time mistake!”

“But that one mistake almost got us killed. You too, hyung.”

The more they talked, the more Kyungho felt like he was digging himself into a hole.