약속 | 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣.

사

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𝐒𝐄𝐎𝐊 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘/𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖 how long they locked themselves in the restroom for. Other than quietly talking amongst themselves, which happened rarely to not draw any unwanted attention from the infected—assuming that any was lurking outside the door, the only thing that brought mild intrigue to Y/n would be whenever Seok would slightly crack open the entrance to take a look outside, but more often than not, he wouldn't be able to make out a thing because he was too scared to open the door more than a few centimeters.

It was probably for the better...

"너 피곤하니? 너 졸려?" Seok Yu-jun suddenly asked his classmate after switching places with her. He was now seated whilst she was guarding the door. Even though they were fighting for their lives seemingly a few hours ago, both of them had to catch this train after school. He's sure that Y/n, much like himself, is exhausted. "Are you tired? Are you sleepy?"

"No, I'll be fine..." she reassured him and continued to stare nonchalantly at the door separating them from safety and certain death. Just as Seok was about to give up his seat for her, Y/n accidentally interrupted him by swiftly adding, "Do you have your phone?"

"Oh, yes," Seok replied, reaching into his pocket to retrieve his phone. The small device seemed inconspicuous in the palm of his hand, but it could help them. But that only matters if Y/n's hypothesis from earlier is true, if not, they're on their own.

"I left mine back in my seat," Y/n confessed, a tinge of regret in her voice. They both knew in their hearts that they couldn't go back for it—something Y/n didn't mind, especially since they had a spare. "We should check the news, see if there's anything about what's happening out there."

Finally picking up what she was putting down, Seok unlocked his phone. The pale glow of the screen illuminated their faces as they huddled together in the cramped bathroom, seeking answers in the digital realm. His fingers tapped against the screen as he navigated to a news app.

The headlines were ominous, filled with reports of widespread chaos, mysterious outbreaks, and the collapse of societal norms. As the dark-haired boy scrolled through the articles, both his and Y/n's expressions shifted from curiosity to deep concern. Images of overrun cities and desperate attempts at containment painted a grim picture of the world beyond the train.

"What do you think is happening?" Y/n murmured, her eyes that were once fixated on the screen now shifting to meet Seok's dark ones.

Seok sighed, his brows furrowed with worry. "It looks like some kind of outbreak. People are calling it a crisis. Authorities are struggling to contain it, and there are reports of violence and panic spreading." He replied.

Their hearts sank as they absorbed the severity of the situation and after a few moments of silence, something caught her eye. "Look," Y/n pointed at a live broadcast coming from the Yongsan Presidential Office. "The president is speaking about the reports..." she let out a small sigh of relief, but only when Seok didn't immediately click on it like she expected he would, Y/n's patience wearer down to practically nothing. "What are you doing? Click on it!" She harshly whispered.

Seok hesitated, glancing at her with a furrowed brow. "Are you sure? Wouldn't it be too loud?" He mumbled.

"Then put on captions, dumbass..." Y/n cursed under her breath. That way, we can follow the broadcast without sound. Of course, she didn't mean anything with her words. This situation has royally fucked with them and because of it, they were on edge. Y/n just wants to know what is going on as soon as possible.

Seok nodded, adjusting the settings on his phone to activate captions. The broadcast's visuals played out on the screen without the accompanying audio. Y/n leaned in to read what the president had to say about the country's dire situation.

"My fellow citizens. Violent riots have broken out in a number of our major cities, resulting in multiple civilian and police injuries. These riots have led us to shut down a number of key districts,
in an effort to subdue those attempting to destroy or take over government property," the president stated. "For this reason, we're declaring a state of emergency in order to stabilize and control the current situation. Thanks to our government's rapid response, a number of outbreaks are being contained..." he trailed off, stopping for only a moment to catch his breath before continuing, "Fellow citizens, please refrain from reacting to baseless rumors and stay in the safety of your homes. We must stay calm and trust our government, as we all work together in facing this current crisis. To the best of our knowledge, your safety is not in jeopardy." He finished and with that, the broadcast was ended.

"Geez..." Y/n pulled away, resting her back on the wall opposite from Seok once more as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Well," she started with a small sigh. "At least he's taking precautions, so this thing doesn't spread." She tried to be optimistic, but even with all the aforementioned precautions, they can't rely on those to keep them safe. Some of the infected were bound to slip through the cracks and spread their virus.

"Yeah..." Seok agreed. The military will be sure to intervene, right? If that's the case, their willpower will help drive back the monstrous things.

Just then, the train jolted to a sudden stop, throwing Y/n off balance. In an instant, she found herself collapsing onto Seok, their bodies entangled in a brief moment of disorientation. Despite the abruptness, they managed to avoid making any noise, and the small bathroom provided a cushion against the impact. "Ow..." Y/n groaned.

Seok's immediate concern was for her well-being. "Are you okay?" He asked, his hands steadying her as they both adjusted to the unexpected stop.

Y/n slowly nodded her head, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just caught off guard..." Seok then helped her regain her footing. "Did the train just stop?" Y/n wondered aloud, glancing towards the locked bathroom door as if it held the answers.

Seok frowned, a sense of unease settling over them. "I don't know. It could be anything..." technical issues, a blockage on the tracks, or maybe something related to the crisis outside. But for the time being, he wished it was neither of those things. "Do you think it's safe to get off?"

"I hope so..."

Seok gestured towards the locked door. "We need to find out what's going on eventually," he pointed out the obvious. Y/n nodded. "Just... let me go first, alright?" He pleaded with his classmate, not wanting her death to be on his conscience. As they cautiously swapped places, Seok opened the bathroom door and peered into the corridor, the train remained eerily still. "Okay, looks like the coast is clear. Just remember to stick close to me."

"Got it."