After

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⋘ 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑖𝑡 – 𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑎... ⋙

Ⰶ║ July 18 2020 ║Ⰶ

Hendery jumps as the ringing of a phone echoes throughout the shed. "Fucking shit." He sighs and makes his way over to the chair where the phone sat.

The screen displayed a familiar number and he eagerly answers, already running back to the house where the other two were. "Hello?"

"H-ello?"

Hendery groans at the bad connection. "You're choppy." He enters the kitchen and gestures to the phone in his hand. YangYang and Xiaojun soon surround him.

"Yo-re ch-op too. B-ut ca-n you h-ea-r u-s?"

"Yes." Hendery and YangYang sit at the table while Xiaojun goes to put Xifeng upstairs.

"Ok. We. Are. Com-ing. To. Je-ju." and for the first time, the boys get a clear and solid message from the other line.

"Je.Ju?" YangYang widens his eyes in excitement.

"Yeah. We. Are. On. Our. Way."

Hendery squirms in his seat and hits YangYang's shoulder. The boy smiles and nods. "Where. Are. You?"

"We're. In. Gurye. South. Korea."

Hendery turns to Xiaojun who raises a brow. "What?" but the younger just gestures him over.

"When. Will. You. Arrive?"

"Soon. Not. Sure. But. Soon."

This time a new voice appears over the phone, making the three Chinese males smile at the new information. "What. Part. Of. Jeju. Are. You. In?"

"Hyeopjae. Beach." YangYang answers clearly. There was a soft mutter of "That's where–" then the line went flat.

Xiaojun widens his eyes in amazement. "There's more than one of them."

"Holy fuck..."

"There's more than one!" The oldest boy jumps in surprise, his heart leaping with joy. The other two weren't much different, both of them now smiling and laughing. It truly was the best thing they've heard in the past few months.

Ⰶ║ July 20 2020 ║Ⰶ

Hendery frowns and looks at the picture in his hands. He had kept it safe after The End, and sometimes he would look at it just to be reminded of the times before. It was a picture of the first day of senior year. He, Xiaojun, YangYang, an older boy named Yukhei, and their best friend Renjun were standing with their arms over each other's shoulders and wide smiles on their faces. It was the final print that survived The End; they each got a copy but as far as Hendery knew, his copy was the only one that made it.

It was an old photo from years and years ago, but he treasured it more than anything. After they graduated high school, the 5 friends split up with Yukhei and Renjun going to Korea, while the other 3 stayed in China. But thanks to an offer from his great grandmother (who lived in Jeju) to visit her home for vacation, he made it to Korea right before the world ended. It's where he met up with YangYang and Xiaojun, who had run into each other after realizing both of them had a school trip to the island.

Of course, the reunion was a happy one, but it made Hendery wonder. Did Yukhei and Renjun survive? Were they alive somewhere, wandering Korea alone? It scared him to think that his best friends were dead- crushed under a house or drowned at the shoreline of a beach. He didn't want to imagine it, but he feared the worst.

Yet now, with the information of the boy on the phone, and the different voice, he had a strong hope that Renjun was safe. They didn't know how many other people were with those two boys, but Hendery hoped that Renjun was with them.

All Hendery wanted was to see his best friend again...he wasn't asking much, but it was still a lot.

"Hey! Xiaojun ge made dinner, some come in and eat!" YangYang's voice breaks Hendery from his trance and he slowly makes his way inside the house. There YangYang sat with Xifeng in his lap and Xiaojun across the table from him. Although he missed Renjun and Yukhei, Hendery was glad to have found his friend and his boyfriend safe and sound.

At least they were safe.

⋘ Tʀᴀɴsᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ. Pʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴛʀʏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ. ⋙