지금, 당신이 어디에 있든 (Now, Wherever You Are)

2

I had to try it. Maybe I'd be lucky to grab a phone that still worked. Even moments later, hiding from the zombies that were in the teachers' room, when I tried to turn the phone on and realized my luck had failed me once again, I still didn't regret it. I had to try, and try I did.

At least one thing worked as planned, I attracted all the zombies that were in that room, leaving Su Hyeok with a clean way back. He was out of danger. He would be getting back in safety to the lab. Without a phone that worked, but alive.

At least my luck didn't fail me totally and I found an empty classroom to lock myself in, away from the zombies that roamed the hallways.

I tried hard not to think of the look of pain in Su Hyeok's eyes as he watched me scream for the zombies to come get me. I knew he wanted to come help me, but I'm glad he didn't. It would be a suicide mission. And me dying is better than the both of us. It's better like that.

-

Climbing the firehose back to the transmission room where the rest of the group was, all he could think of was the look on Cheong San's eyes.

He put a table between them both and screamed so the zombies would go to him, so even if the zombies were on the same side as Su Hyeok, they weren't paying attention to him. Su Hyeok dreaded what Cheong San was about to do, but it was the only thing he could do. The zombies were already getting over the table. Before screaming again and running out of the room he looked at Su Hyeok and gave him a little smile. Knowing his friend for as long a time as he knew Cheong San, Su Hyeok knew what he was saying. "It's okay. Don't worry. Get safe."

Fucking idiot , Su Hyeok thought. Why did he have to play the hero? He always said Su Hyeok was the one who played hero, a daily life hero, always helping everyone, always being nice, the friendly superhero of the neighborhood, but in school. Then why didn't he let Su Hyeok be the hero this time too, why did he go ahead and steal this role. Fucking idiot.

"On Jo must be so sad," Su Hyeok heard the two girls talking. He didn't know them, other than from having seen them once or twice in the hallways, they weren't in their class. One of them was whispering to the other, "She was super close to Cheong San. If I didn't know she was dating Nam Ra, I'd think she was dating him, they spend a lot of time together."

He looked at On Jo sitting in a corner of the room, looking gloomy. Su Hyeok had never entertained the notion of On Jo and Cheong San dating. That was only because he knew On Jo was already dating someone else, of course. Or was it? He realized that he never imagined Cheong San dating anyone in the school. He tried to imagine Cheong San dating someone who didn't go to that school. That also didn't feel right. He couldn't point out why, but he just didn't like the idea of his friend having to divide his time and attention between him and someone else.

Su Hyeok felt that he was at a huge disadvantage, because it had been a while Cheong San already wasn't giving him that much attention, and that was being single. If he did start dating anyone, Su Hyeok would have no chance.

-

The idea of using the drone was the first real perspective they had until that point of making any progress at escaping the hell that the school had become. Luckily, someone would find the drone and read the message attached to it. Or maybe the drone would find someone...

"Wait, is that..." On Jo started to say. Su Hyeok snapped out of his daydream and looked at the screen. Yes, it was. It was Cheong San. Alive. Looking well. As well as he could in these circumstances, anyway.

Su Hyeok could help the laughter, but couldn't the smile. He smiled stupidly, turning away to the window so no one would see it. When the muscles of his cheeks were under control, he rejoined the group, and he had a sense of resolution. He knew what he needed to do.

"I'm going to go rescue Cheong San."