The Longest Dayz

Chapter 33: Yoon Minseok

Minseok stood staring out over the city from the penthouse balcony. It terrified him to no end; something that appeared so normal to him, yet everything in it has become unfamiliar. Everyone was trying to come to terms with the situation; some managing better than others. He happened to be one of the few who were struggling to accept the situation, even Jiwon was slowly finding a place for himself in the group as he forced himself to understand the self defense moves.

He released a defeated sigh just as he heard the sliding glass door shut behind him.

"Are you alright?" He heard a girl ask, recognizing her voice immediately.

"Not really. I just feel so hopeless and useless right now. Have you ever felt that way, Hina?" He responded as he turned to look at her as she leaned against the railing next to him.

She looked to be contemplating for a moment before she turned to look him in the eyes. "Yes, there were a lot of times that I have felt useless and hopeless in situations; especially when I just started working on real patients in the hospital. Sometimes I messed up and more experienced doctors or nurses had to step in to take care of the situation because I wasn't as skilled as them." She paused briefly, "I supposed that your feelings are a little bit different in this particular situation though."

"Yeah, maybe. I just feel like I am not as useful to the group, I'm just another mouth to feed. I haven't really contributed anything in particular to the group. Even Taehyun has made some contributions that hold value, especially when he went outside with Kittichai and got the cargo truck, yet I've barely been able to set foot outside of the apartment since we've arrived. I know the situation has become much worse than the first day we arrived, and that thought alone has me petrified." He explained to her.

"I understand your feelings. Everything has changed, everything we were used to is gone. We are all scared, Kittichai, Hanwoo, Seojun and Yeongsu, all of them are scared and so am I. We just managed to adjust to the situation faster than most people, maybe because our occupations have already prepared us to be able to handle most situations. Being in any emergency service can definitely prepare you for the worst scenarios. So I think that you being scared is normal, not knowing what to do is also normal. I don't think you should beat yourself up over it either." Hina said.

"I don't think Kittichai had an occupation before all of this, I don't really know where he gets the courage. I know we will have to go outside eventually, yet I can barely take a step out of the bedroom without getting nervous. I've been trying to think of things that could help me become confident enough to survive when the time comes, but I haven't thought of anything." He slumped his shoulders as he looked away from Hina, ashamed of his cowardliness.

"Do you know how to do parkour?" She questioned randomly.

Minseok raised a brow at the question, "no, why?"

"Maybe learning how to efficiently run through the city could help you overcome part of your fears. If you learn to run over rooftops and are able to avoid slowing down no matter which obstacles get in your way, then maybe you'll be able to face your fears better. What do you say?" She suggested.

"It's worth a shot. Thank you." He gave her a genuine smile.

"Alright, I'll set up a place for you to practice on the fifteenth floor going down to the fourteenth. Meet me down there in about three hours, okay?" She patted him on the shoulder before she ran back into the penthouse.

"I really hope this works." He whispered to himself as he also went back into the penthouse and returned to his room. He laid on his bed staring at the ceiling contemplating everything. He'd have to work up the courage to travel down to the fifteenth floor by himself; it was a big step for him since he kept thinking of all the worst case scenarios that could happen to him in the short time span it takes to walk down to the fifteenth floor. He released a frustrated groan as he rolled over on his bed.