Zombie Tide: A Fight for Survival

chapter 1

The sound of the door slamming echoed down the hallway, y/n leaned against her bedroom door while her heart racing, as the muffled shouts of her mother and older brother, yeonjun , drifted through the cracks. The argument had reached a familiar crescendo

"I'm sixteen, Mom! I'm old enough to hang out or go on a trip with my friends!" y/n shouted, the heat of frustration spilling over. She could hear yeonjun's disapproving sigh from the other side of the door.

"Don't raise your voice, Y/N. You're still under my roof!" her mother snapped, her tone slicing through the tension. "I don't care who your friends are. It's where you're going that concerns me."
Before Y/N could replay, Yeonjun cut in calm but firm voice. "And I do care who you're with. You're following our rules, end of discussion"

Y/n scoffed "You mean your rules. What about my life? My friends? Why is it such a big deal to spend time with them?"
"Because I know what they're like," yeonjun chimed in, his tone was frustrated. "They're a bad influence and you're too young to be out there alone with them."

Y/n's hands trembled with anger as this is not the first time they're not allowing her to hang out.......

"They're my friends!" y/n shouted in frustration. "yeonjun you're acting like they're criminals! I just want to have some fun for once. It's summer vacation!"

Yeonjun's scoff was incredulous. "Fun? You think this is about fun? What you're calling fun is a waste of time. You should be focusing on your school assignments, not running off to some beach that nobody knows about." Her patience snapped. "Even you hang out with your friends without doing your work!" she shot back.

(Yeonjun glared at her)

Yeonjun's eyes darkened, his temper rising, but Y/N was quicker. "Sorry, oppa" she said, softening her tone. "It's just the start of summer. I promise I'll get all my work done when I get back."
Before Yeonjun could respond, their mother's voice cut through like ice. "You won't even lift a finger after you come back." Her sarcasm stung.

"God, I wish you weren't my mom!" Y/N burst out, her words like fire. "You don't give a damn about me, but you're always so nice and understanding with Yeonjun!! "

"Watch your tone, y/n!" yeonjun snapped, stepping closer, his expression a mix of frustration and concern. "You need to understand that she is trying to look out for you. It's not about you going out-it's about where and with who. I can't let you go to some random place with people I don't trust ,to be clear you guys are just kids"

The tension increased. As her mother sighed deeply, y/n's phone buzzed, a message lighting up the screen: bro you coming?

She hesitated, But in that moment, she made a choice. "I'm going out," she declared, heart pounding. "I'll be back in 10 minutes."

"Y/N, stop," Yeonjun shouted, following her as she stormed toward the door. "We need to talk." Y/n stood still while Yeonjun's voice softened behind her. "Look, it's not like I'm against you hanging out. I'm just worried. You're going out with them, alone, to a place that's not familiar."

Her anger faltered for a moment, sadness creeping in. She turned, her face clouded. "It's not just some random place, oppa. It's a beach, a small trip."

"Otherwise You could come with us,then you can look after me" Y/n Said in excitement

Yeonjun's face twisted in thought, but he shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, YN, I can't. I've already got plans with my university friends"

She pouted, trying to hide her disappointment. "Fine, I can manage yeonjun". Yeonjun shot her a teasing look. "I can manage," he mimicked, lightening the mood. After a pause, his face lit up with an idea. "How about this? What if I invite my friends, and we all go together"

Yn hesitated for a moment, but then she warmed up to the idea. "Okay, why not? Could be fun, what abt mom? She's definitely not on board with the whole beach thing."

Yeonjun's confidence returned. "Don't worry. I'll handle her." Y/N let out a dramatic sigh and threw her arms around him. "You're the best."

(They walked back into the house together, where their mother stood, arms crossed, eyeing them suspiciously.)

"Mom I think you should let her go" Before his mom could protest yeonjun continued "me and my friends would accompany them, I will keep a eye on her, and it's only for three days"

(A silence grew in the room but their mom broke it)

"Fine" Her mom said with a disappointment sigh "please take care yourselves okay? "

"Yes and Thanks, Mom." she muttered, not wanting to make a scene out of it.

Their mother waved her hand dismissively, clearly still unhappy with the decision. "Just be careful. And don’t make me regret this."

(With that, Y/N darted up the stairs to her room, pulling out her phone to text her friends back.)

Y/N: I'm in but Yeonjun and his friends are coming too.

A quick flood of messages from her friend woonhak and yujin followed, a mixture of excitement and teasing about her "big brother babysitter". Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t deny that the idea of Yeonjun tagging along made her feel a little more secure.

She could hear Yeonjun downstairs, still talking to their mom in low tones, reassuring her about the trip. Y/N was certain he was negotiating extra conditions—things he’d expect her to follow. That was just how he was.

A few minutes later, there was a soft knock on her door. Yeonjun entered without waiting for a reply, leaning against the frame. "Alright, the deal is sealed. But we’ve got rules," he said, raising an eyebrow as if daring her to protest. Y/N groaned, flopping back onto her bed. "Of course, there are."

"First," Yeonjun began, stepping inside her room, "no going anywhere without checking in with me or my friends. I don’t care if it’s a quick walk to get food someone has to know where you are". "Okay, okay" Y/N muttered, rolling her eyes. She figured as long as she didn’t completely mess up, she could have her fun. "And no sneaking off to some secret spot with your friends just because it seems 'cool' "

Yeonjun added. "I know you. Don’t think you can pull something and I won’t notice."

Y/N smirked, sitting up and crossing her arms "What, you don’t trust me?" . Yeonjun gave her a flat look. "Not even a little" , She laughed appreciating his honesty. But underneath the jokes, she knew he was dead serious. "Fine, no sneaking off. But you don’t have to be my shadow, either".

He nodded, though the protective gleam in his eyes hadn’t faded. "Deal. We leave tomorrow morning, so pack tonight". As he turned to leave, Y/N called after him "Hey, oppa... thanks". she hated admitting how much she relied on him sometimes.

Yeonjun glanced back, the sternness on his face softening. "Don’t thank me yet," he said. "Let’s see if you can survive two days without breaking the rules."

Y/N chuckled as he left, but once the door clicked shut behind him, She grabbed her suitcase from under the bed,  packing everything she’d need for the trip.

As she tossed clothes and swimsuits onto her bed, she thought about the next two days. This trip was her chance to break free from the suffocating routine of school and strict rules. A chance to let loose with her friends, laugh without worrying about assignments or expectations. And yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, a nagging feeling lingered. Something about Yeonjun's warning echoed in her thoughts. He was always right about these things—his protectiveness wasn’t just annoying, it came from somewhere real.

Pushing the thought away, she focused on packing. This trip was going to be fun, she was sure of it. What could go wrong at a quiet beach, surrounded by friends and even her brother’s protective presence?

The sun would rise tomorrow, and Y/N was ready for it.........