Even Zombies Have Fandoms

Chapter 8

Seeing his friend in a gloomy mood, Junwoo didn’t know what to say to make it better, so he just opened his mouth and eventually declared defeat.

“Ah, I got it! I got it! Hyung, just set a specific time and go.”

“Okay. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“If you’re too late, I’ll come looking for you, so make sure to keep your promise.”

Despite a bit of a clash, Seokjae managed to gently get their consent, his eyes narrowing with a smirk. Junwoo, feeling like he had lost for no reason, focused all his energy on comforting the dejected Kyungho.

Leaving the two behind, who were bickering about whether today was okay or not, Seokjae turned his gaze back to the ceiling and slowly closed his eyes. He recalled the figure he had encountered at the entrance.

‘That face…’

It looked just like the appearance he remembered. However, the blood and grime covering the small face, along with the other zombies, obscured his vision, making it impossible to be sure if it was really him.

‘He shouldn’t even be there in the first place.’

They were definitely zombies from the mart. Even if he somehow made it to this place, it didn’t make sense that he had come all the way up to the fourth floor where the mart was located. Zombies couldn’t press elevator buttons or climb stairs to open doors.

So, it was highly likely that he had mistaken a similarly looking zombie. Or perhaps he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that he was slowly losing his mind and seeing things. The way the zombies stood facing him made it seem as if they were blocking the door to help him.

The more he thought about it, the more Seokjae wanted to return quickly and confirm the identity of that unknown presence. He tapped the bag filled with the items he had gathered for tomorrow with his toes, suppressing his anxiety.

* * *

Clang! A can of food that had been carelessly stuffed into the bag rolled out and made a loud noise as it hit the floor.

“Gasp…!”

Muyoung, who had been staring blankly into space, jumped at the sound, his shoulders trembling.

“What, what was that?”

Wondering if something had happened, Muyoung habitually checked the CCTV, only to remember too late that there was no sound coming from the security room screen, which relieved him.

He looked around to find the source of the noise. Soon, his gaze met that of a puppy lying beside him, looking up at him. Perhaps feeling guilty, the puppy’s bright eyes seemed to ask, “Why are you acting like a fool since earlier?”

Carefully picking up the dented can, Muyoung let out a deep sigh.

“I zoned out again… How many times has it been already?”

Since meeting Seokjae, Muyoung had not been in a good state. He had been spacing out like someone possessed, constantly muttering to himself, “Did it go well?” or “What was his name?” It was all because of Seokjae, who took over his mind the moment he had a little free time.

Once he started thinking about him, he couldn’t stop midway, and it took a long time for him to regain his composure.

As a result, Muyoung, who didn’t need sleep or rest, found himself barely able to pack a bag by dawn. If it hadn’t been for the can that had just fallen from the bag, it would have taken even longer.

Clack. As he stepped out of the security room and checked his wristwatch, he saw that the hour hand was already close to dawn.

“I need to move before it gets completely bright…”

If he moved during the day, someone else might spot him.

If the other person was a good survivor, it wouldn’t matter unless they approached him first. But with raiders, it was different. It wasn’t just about losing his belongings and having his life threatened; he was worried about the possibility of harming them while trying to defend himself.

“Should I just leave tomorrow?”

As Muyoung hurried down the hallway, his steps gradually slowed. Looking out the window, he saw the dark night sky slowly turning blue.

“It feels like it’ll be dawn soon anyway.”

Muyoung muttered, fiddling with the straps of the bag slung over his shoulders. What if he went out and ran into someone? Besides, he still hadn’t properly decided where to go. Again… again…

“If I leave like this, I might never see him again…”

As he searched for excuses not to leave this place, Muyoung’s true feelings slipped out.

Glancing around nervously, Muyoung felt foolish for having thought yesterday that he could dismiss Seokjae as a thing of the past. Even today, he had already thought of him dozens of times. Would time really make things better?

Not knowing if he was safe or if he was in a good environment only made him worry more, leading to more thoughts.

“I should have just secretly followed him yesterday.”

If he had seen him safely join his group, he might have thought of him even one second less than now. He wanted to go find him right away. But Muyoung didn’t know which direction he had gone.

If he just left everything to chance and searched, he might end up getting further away. Of course, staying in this building and waiting wasn’t a good decision either.

“Actually, the chances of finding him might be lower than just blindly searching.”

He wouldn’t return to the building where he had almost died being chased by countless zombies. Instead, he felt more inclined to pack up and move to another place, wanting to avoid being near it.

“I just want to confirm if he’s okay…”

Realizing that even if he left this place tomorrow, the situation wouldn’t improve, Muyoung lowered his head with a sad expression.

As he began to walk slowly again, he looked very dejected. If he had a tail, it would surely be drooping down to the ground.

“Should I at least wander around the area?”

As Muyoung trudged down the stairs, he pondered over the reckless yet slightly hopeful option again.

If the three of them hadn’t arrived here by some means, it meant they had walked. In that case, their hideout was likely nearby. If he wandered around in circles centered on the mart, he might just run into him again.

“Yeah, I’ll search for a few days… If I can’t find him, then I’ll really give up then.”

Okay. Let’s do that. Muyoung nodded as if he hadn’t been gloomy at all, and his eyes sparkled with hope.

“I have the food I originally wanted to give him, so I can take it along while checking if he’s safe.”

As Muyoung thought about what to give them when they met, he recalled buildings that might still have leftover food.

With a heart full of excitement, Muyoung was about to step out of the emergency exit when something fell with a dull thud in front of the open door and rolled to his feet.

“Gasp.”

Startled, Muyoung inhaled sharply. What had rolled across the floor was a man’s head, twisted at the jaw and sticking out his tongue. The crushed head, dark red blood, and decaying skin made it clear that it was a zombie.

For now, Muyoung was relieved that it wasn’t the head of a living person. Following his survival instincts, he tried to silently step back from the emergency exit. At that moment, a soft voice came from the direction where the zombie’s head had flown.

“Not him either…”

In an instant, Muyoung’s eyes widened. It sounded too much like the voice of the person he had been recalling just moments ago. His legs trembled as if they were about to spring out.

However, before he could act on his thoughts, something grabbed his ankle.

Crack. Thud.

A chilling sound echoed as something tough and solid slammed down, and another head flew in Muyoung’s direction. This time, it was a female zombie missing one eyeball.

“Eek…”

Muyoung flinched. He wasn’t scared by the grotesque head of the zombie. He felt a threat to his life from the unknown being that was beheading the zombie beyond the door. It was a being similar to the heads rolling on the floor.

In the first place, it didn’t matter to Muyoung if a zombie was killed by a person. He preferred living people over zombies that had once been human.

But sometimes, when he saw zombies being burned to death or falling into traps, he couldn’t help but feel scared that it might become his future.

This time was no different. Fearing that his own head might soon roll on the floor, Muyoung squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them wide.