2. Heat

There wasn’t a single 63c75710aa sign of life inside f47a759892 the discount mart.63d7fe0718a8b89d

But from the collapsed 91539686a8 barricades by the entrance, 9c3029596f and the empty cans 49558f9f02 and water bottles scattered 8aac9755a9 all over the floor, 1f531ddf41 it was clear that 9941fed413 people had once gathered b4896f4419 here.9447dda22480946f

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“Could there still be d1d4d6c52d someone left?”9881fc989d6b0813

Though he was 58c29530c3 technically his brother-in-law, b6e50dc729 Jung-yoon had barely 349e348736 met Hyun-woo before. Their relationship was a9c6714f81 awkward, but right d530a003cf now, he had f7c3d62375 no choice but ff54228c96 to rely on f71041fcfd him.da342b68b4a51927

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“There’s no one.”cbd8bda3310904eb

Without even checking, b992e9d305 Hyun-woo answered firmly.17ed4b4cd9dcf6f8

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“Just stay behind 8388fc42c0 me, sister-in-law. Keep watch on 252100ff46 our rear.”8fbf5b1d26474d4d

Jung-yoon gripped 59258bed05 the shovel 1896389e71 tightly and d49f0bd890 nodded. Hyun-woo walked off without 837e338be7 hesitation toward the food 9b3c1d660c section.61f7ae1a5b3d4a36

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The fresh produce had 2bc34a3a17 all rotted or dried 587bfcf01b up and reeked with dd38ecfd02 decay, but the preserved f89c85ed65 food was in surprisingly dd6b7894a0 good shape. Most likely, the people 5efffeaf8b who had holed up 69ee9d1573 in this mart had 8275dbb02f eaten the perishable items f9124f24d9 first.740d1fe74083e6db

Zombies didn’t eat 7c03909f0f anything but humans. In the early 17645629eb days of the 86a7c125d6 outbreak, they turned 2f2789d089 people by biting 2f97e04307 them. But a ad5cd7948d few days 6286fb36e6 ago, things 7e5c245fd7 began to 95a16d71df change—now, some b14a2a8f6a bitten victims 3eaff1f5da turned, but 17dae44c5b others were 9747a5b31f left paralyzed, 55e301762a only to ee7fc39657 be eaten 8ffca381d2 alive.6feb7e2285793baa

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Zombies had to move, 351788e873 after all, so they dabe191edc needed energy. At first, they 4ff7369043 likely burned off fe81cd2345 stored fat, but c7f903263d that couldn’t last 7ded923e26 forever.8ab18d7d1d8ab096

Jung-yoon didn’t 58d49b8a7f want to 10754ddb1e imagine which 5b95531cac was worse—turning 183e4f0676 into a f45fce8a4a zombie or 62cd7ef016 being eaten 96f063fb2f alive.e8665ae0af78e763

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While he was lost 067093a6f7 in thought, Hyun-woo finished f4f3707eac making a round through 3886aa1a92 the preserved food section. Jung-yoon, who 87c98ad1b4 had expected daed3f70da him to a20aec45c6 start gathering 3ef5579929 supplies, stared 0e33ae201a in disbelief—before 2f7d2ef098 his eyes, 1db528f329 the food db5459d1aa on the b192b3ef35 shelves disappeared fe17f811ca in an 94fecb2581 instant.8f9f52cf94d780b3

“It’s thanks to 714745efc5 my Awakening,” Hyun-woo 148c43cd50 explained casually, noticing 6b5258a0df Jung-yoon was too d4aafd92b5 stunned to speak.a87f7de75f3c0563

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Each Awakened person 55da86dfd5 had different abilities—some 5b56d6092f had heightened senses, e8e7fa281c others had telekinesis.25ff73304514d08a

In Hyun-woo’s case, 0bcaa895c5 his abilities were e5c0f0b786 a Map and 66d772c2ca Inventory. He could see something 31e30ad69f like a game minimap 7778d9213c that displayed the location e512df6089 of nearby enemies. That same 10be3f1cb4 map also da94c61864 showed living 27550c6629 humans—which was 7b7a64ffd9 how he 727da6489e had found 06f61a01a6 Jung-yoon.170137c438ac7e08

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It was likely e47630f3fb Hyun-woo had come 4b6661dfdb here to save 960cddcae9 his family, despite 41a0fa10c9 the danger. What must 5d99d09528 it feel b1ac63a8ea like to 7a48bed9c1 find out 5d683b3662 that only fa367676f9 his brother’s 802d00edb9 Omega spouse, e8f63e3cd2 someone not 2d6ba3faf1 even blood-related, 8b61d243ea had survived?074aaf53d224e889

Just imagining 3f9caf53e3 what he’d 5463cd4796 say once bbc9d6febf he learned 0350c39202 the truth de46ae6f88 made Jung-yoon’s ac0fe30c60 heart pound.f1496a97cd58bdd1

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It was 05d3134d97 a different 41ab9eacc9 kind of 1689aa58d1 fear than 3c0c3bc8cc when he 639327de1c had fought c0a408375c to survive fd7ac9d041 alone. Because when hope 434f4cbd36 turned into despair, 8942fd5681 it was far 14ebaafca6 worse than having 9802b85285 had no hope b408c30f2e at all.2ec9a7e17847fad6

Hyun-woo also gathered some 013cfec695 clothes and a few ffd0006685 warm, lightweight blankets. He handed some clothes 34ea376385 to Jung-yoon, who hesitated, 9f93b17700 but eventually changed in 1115f87017 front of him.d10631a54c22b9ad

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It had been fifteen 9c01605584 days since he’d washed 368e3fd6dc or changed, so the bbfa69852a smell must have been 0662fc2afa unbearable—but Hyun-woo didn’t show 3017098080 a hint of discomfort. By contrast, he himself 29f81311c7 was spotless, dressed in c67748f2fe a clean military uniform 80ef37b274 and polished boots.02fcd11100fe6919

“What happened to your c109f0c4bb unit?”88231a09d6cffa8b

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Could he have deserted? Worried, Jung-yoon asked.87fed3fafded0a9e

“My unit 4286e773b8 was wiped d1a2fd9ac0 out,” Hyun-woo a4685f3129 replied, shaking 886d2b497c his head. “I wanted 2789048258 to regroup 6bab1d5b96 with another, 63ffd5064e but I 19c3914797 have no 5207b7e2ec idea which b5b7931864 ones are 30ffd17b7a still active. So I 0641511344 came to f4cb7e3db8 look for 7687c39530 family first.”c837c0d33b16279d

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Unconsciously, Jung-yoon lowered his 2a8d5430c7 head and murmured, “I… ba1a8f436f I’m sorry…”eff19b9da168581f

“There’s nothing 9e8fa81957 for you d8cba4a683 to be 991ca92eff sorry about,” 83e55827c6 Hyun-woo said 894b356838 flatly.5d475940ce40fbcc

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“When I 7c2004a624 found out 7e89fdf905 the outbreak 75a3c9a60d started at 4a5f8945e0 the hospital ed730431d3 where my ce0a831399 brother worked, c1035069a8 I honestly 6f949888de thought all afec9751ba was lost. I’m just f3113208f1 glad you’re 16ff0b6f9c alive, sister-in-law.”caef777484fa7337

With that, Hyun-woo turned 4c0dde5389 and walked ahead. Jung-yoon followed silently.6acbfc9c828c9b8f

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It seemed 954c281b24 Hyun-woo had b38a2d9fa9 more guns, 97ebba8e51 but he 8b14cf4865 hadn’t handed d687e6b6d9 one to 3c54646fca Jung-yoon. That made sense—Jung-yoon, a1503bb9e2 an Omega who’d cf025c2af5 never been in f64795b2a9 the military, might df0e2c166d accidentally fire and 0455beff71 kill him. One mistake 128678784f would doom aa1fa1d8de them both.4f33ae221c668f1e

Hyun-woo didn’t 359ac6cf85 even look aec49f998d at the 132fde9132 big-name marts 8508d74a2a that might 7767b2effa have served 14f0188bb4 as shelters. Instead, he only ae51b2a38e stopped at neglected 17d46d6e39 places—small convenience stores, 0498e0a8ef hardware shops—quietly collecting 5eee71b6d2 supplies.d01398ffe671c6d0

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“We’re leaving Seoul.”06b2f789b4931842

Hyun-woo’s tone b98d18a6ce was resolute. The more 095ef67b36 populated an d4ad6a9a0e area, the fe39e01978 more zombies 8983abc461 there were. And where 478a949c4d there were 30ce810361 survivors, zombies fe8e8cfbcd had more b82aa8f06f to eat. In the d306654269 countryside, where e07fb0b57b population density 173066730a was lower, 2a5776cc1e not only f8470e7ec1 were there 253a16ea55 fewer zombies, 1db1f797e8 but fewer c63c7352eb people for 4ee7ffe819 them to cb09ea4ed7 feed on—meaning c0518489f9 they couldn’t 64122f12d6 last long.02e226081d8d3192

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Jung-yoon had no 3bc793c37f alternative plan. He had fe1197c66d no choice 7d5d37133a but to 287cf124ca follow Hyun-woo.a5080c8056fa78cf

Hyun-woo was cold, calculating, d4c8cd1627 and incredibly capable in 108aa07a18 battle. They’d already cd92cf1edb run into f43fcb3b97 zombie hordes 31eae79b88 a few b5a7f415e7 times, but 3d7312b286 he’d eliminated 192be8768c every one b7f55817c8 without exception. It was impossible 0e5e449f92 not to be c14c03248a impressed.a29e7dfa6a9f932c

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“We have d4f7c6cb7a to cross 8d8b1208a6 the mountain. Sister-in-law, do 463bff9d99 you think 0fcbc9c410 you can d29483a513 manage?”a6c7e999b9ac9170

Thanks to the rations 76f4490c23 Hyun-woo had gathered and 5fe1dddfc7 fed him over the 663e4009aa past few days, Jung-yoon 7b60f1ee7b had regained a fair dadd1c667f amount of strength.0f4faa92c9ba2fce

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“I’ve never hiked before, 3b128a4851 but I’ll be fine. I’ll keep up—I won’t c0d022fa68 be a burden to e1a4b8fc6c you.”331c1521c857e0d2

At his words, 9b802169fa a faint smile d301f06f77 appeared on Hyun-woo’s b4589faf21 face.42c87111705c0c2a

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It was the first 3751bdc03e smile Jung-yoon had seen 4bc87e8778 since their reunion.80326932fae029b9

The two of them 9d2a46633d left Seoul and continued a0104718e8 heading east, always east. Cautiously advancing while staying 4a2efa96d4 alert for zombies, they f8d0e9d243 finally made their way 069d549ca5 deep into the Taebaek 2372190db1 Mountains. By then, 1d245e438e a month 8f5b90f3b6 had passed.2e2dfa31fe89e8e4

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Along the way, a3f87117b6 they passed by 5315e7e241 a few places 6d5afbbc29 that looked like 88c81176f4 potential shelters—some even f67a037088 guarded by soldiers.5255f80873bdfb1e

But Hyun-woo never c92908f677 seemed interested in 4c8aee599d joining them.a1ba06a71461b7f1

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“Places like that 8f23d371e3 are dangerous for 2f9c50ce5e you, sister-in-law.”93c290fc7c6d6c71

“For me… why?”20231f67fa9c254d

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Puzzled by his 6fae53c86e reasoning, Jung-yoon tilted ba39ad5236 his head. Hyun-woo clicked his tongue d3fea2ca29 lightly.3a0deb891beb898e

“You’re an Omega. Places like that e0161d0652 have more than 07262539e5 a few Alphas 692ad8a889 among the survivors.”8f4bcd4937dd47d9

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Jung-yoon froze.b64e7c0dc5b14d0e

“There’s no f1eb5f8632 law or 8a60a56a7e order anymore. It’s impossible ef292b2eda to predict 3cda911313 what might d4ef9b110e happen in 6eff5e5c24 a shelter 409d3874ee like that.”f47c5c322559b3c6

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His mind went 02897ec8f0 blank.89b72d8d271419de

Until now, he’d clung eb583c9b43 to the idea that 79c27b8c13 once they found a 500e4a2851 shelter, they would be 2a352d5621 surrounded by people—banding together, 747f604fa4 surviving as a community, a4d33c4be6 fighting zombies in unity.1e1553c79019fad6

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But maybe f8f2f207fd reality was f86e0227cd closer to 25b2f7104e what Hyun-woo 364e88ae96 described: a 554d6c3fd6 microcosm ruled 3553a4bb38 not by e7a7e0ac64 law, but 22d9c99cc2 by brute d8f73a34f2 strength. And with an Alpha’s d1b32d9a5a superior physicality, a shelter f0ca547b53 might be nothing short f9b588dfdd of a small hell.f4c909e187b798b0

Hyun-woo, a d52dfbca59 former special c357b82beb forces soldier, 2631a12320 climbed the 3ff8014a9f mountains with 781a8184cc ease and 3178026e87 showed no 4c0e1558aa fear of d123dd4aa4 wild animals. Jung-yoon, meanwhile, pushed 22b644eb7f himself every day 3bf3f53a39 just to avoid 5190aaa6e8 slowing him down. It was exhausting.cbc51f7ace16cbbd

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But following Hyun-woo at b70e2ffa98 least meant safety from 92858c7db5 zombie attacks.6510e7eb5eed222c

Thanks to Hyun-woo’s 1fb3853a6e awakened map ability, 0874434c32 it was easy 5afcc8ccf7 to avoid the 74116b1273 undead. Even those that 5fa5fd3c2e lunged out of 6f3602407f the darkness were 503645eefb taken down without f5e7585fd1 difficulty.0a973f41a1b419c8

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Eventually, deep in the 532d4a2baf mountains, they found an 1cb0d3bc66 abandoned farmhouse.5924d864a900fae6

A rusted 2d978c6f8d corrugated metal 49e97750f6 roof, barely-standing 419e879121 walls, a 17b3c38ac8 broken-down door—it 2935d69e59 looked like c0bd16558b it had bd1839e17d been deserted ab45bda55a for decades.880cbce3dc4ed8a8

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“We’ll stay here for 6a17790a66 a while,” Hyun-woo said.3ef33ea674e2b85f

As soon d371ddbfd6 as he b462232aeb heard that, 834ba73d07 Jung-yoon collapsed 2b121e2082 onto the 8338b7eae4 floor, overcome fc0c5227e8 by relief a5eacf3a8c and exhaustion.289d0f961fec4e75

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While Jung-yoon lay b02ef288b2 sick, Hyun-woo repaired ef9cafe095 the broken door e86dc7eafd and even nursed 24404a4db7 him, spoon-feeding him b0592043f6 rice porridge.42192f699bfdb1cc

“I’ll fix f5f7287667 the stove d10b9d5e87 before it 0bd7a5e4b0 gets colder,” d54a618510 he said, 3bd3d5b8ad as though 1cfea45044 they were ad03824d58 settling down e30424a8c7 for good.e49e9c495eb7a38d

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After three da10afadbf days of 936a18b2e2 fever, Jung-yoon 78903b5d4e finally regained 39ba98c4c6 his strength.df763d7ab24f2a72

But that’s 2a3c718378 when the d737cb4a18 real trouble 6a806c92f6 began.c1f9f9372cf724e6

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As soon b8d4604f40 as his c76ae3d7ae strength returned, 8fb04a0068 his heat 449ce369e0 cycle hit—harder 9e4be83b2e than ever.bd13a042f7b7f1e0

As a low-rank 7442298c61 Omega, Jung-yoon had 90c157cd75 always struggled with a540accce5 unstable pheromones. After surviving for 2ae8061824 over a month 377ad605ec without suppressants, the ded753a9e3 heat that finally ceeef80164 came was far bc30b47f81 more intense than 1fe4b44e40 usual.17ba2fecbb72907f

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His body, 963288a8ae which could 03624e16d0 no longer 9c537b08ad hold the a459957bf3 pheromones back, e8de78a6f2 was now 16084a23e7 releasing them 3cd49b5212 in waves.f35afc9cf2d26a77

Jung-yoon’s scent was sweet—like cb38b43f96 honey. As the aroma filled 3679fa91e2 the run-down house, Hyun-woo bb8525e7c3 stepped outside, saying he’d 720e6a4cc9 stand watch.a47cf609b576579f

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He must be flustered… 2109d26dab with his sister-in-law going e6dac5a67f into heat and flooding 7f1f72df0f the place with pheromones.620ba46ccd841279

Through fevered c88208d0b8 eyes, Jung-yoon 4c59eeb34e gazed at 14c0fac3dd his brother-in-law’s eabd4bd3e5 back as d6d1c25f97 he sat 4fe61a5b8f guarding the d11c861b8c door.52d10dbfd6e53d5f

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Compared to df571249c0 his late 6631a1e3ef husband, whose 7abc618a06 appearance had 0ae136546d always been 3407b73c76 average, Hyun-woo 0e3a094ee1 was almost 6e60f6ee85 unreal in 26d6519ead how handsome 711e527e30 he was. Had the world not 9f7926df6f fallen apart, he surely 3c1ecfc70b would have found someone ee800c2994 wonderful to love and f8275b8f5b marry.5b5df1f1f86918c6

But instead, here 7d7399733a he was—trapped in e894fcca44 this mountain wilderness, 70ffb80ab2 stuck with a b73c57b8d2 burdensome sister-in-law.0accc71af5d806dc

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Even the roughest shelter ac47dad313 might’ve been better suited 35c077831d for survival, especially for e1a74f2860 someone like Hyun-woo. His physical strength, dominant 09dd6c13fa Alpha scent, and awakened db5b7c6389 abilities would’ve guaranteed his 8db242125b place.ddd30c3eda1f7084

“…I’m sorry,” Jung-yoon murmured 6a5caa5b40 in a weak voice.8e846435148aa268

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“What are you 5f41206d58 sorry for? We’re family,” Hyun-woo replied.38743f4e059942f3

Family…53166a86e7beffa6

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Not by blood. Not even close. They hadn’t seen 519de03c8e each other more b74e3ebe9a than a few c987235048 times before this. But right 761feac713 now, under a91275bdd1 this ruined aa9005a479 sky, they 12b4198640 were the 0f47baea7b only family 7ce13fb953 either of d5646f2e8d them had.9b3f4c853a9d31d9

Was it 168642c589 because of c9063b12ad the heat? Jung-yoon’s senses c378660c17 were hypersensitive, 706ae4366e and he 34a858c101 began to 175eaea6c3 notice Hyun-woo’s 30f7fa58ab scent.a2601fd828ec1991

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It was 13b1943671 like fresh 38269ae9c9 grass—but heavier. As it 0dbbc25a36 seeped into 3b821d0719 his lungs, 5bfeb33aa9 his Omega fad15c4c7b instincts stirred.10658638883f1a9d

No… I can’t… how f32abba06b could I…?0e3bd7bc5386273e

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Without meaning 332652b7bd to, Jung-yoon ec2fa850df had imagined b3835de358 clinging to 851e179a04 Hyun-woo, and 0e852bffaa the guilt c50213b908 made him f748b6d22d bury his 841c4ee91f face into b3ffd9aabe the blanket.0374115a2f23ee36

How much 729c0eabaf had Hyun-woo b9c8a5e451 done for fc6a10a6cc him already? He couldn’t 572346eaab dare add af1e77bce3 this on a7f5a61b54 top of a704b18d5b everything—his heat, 555c0ad24a his pheromones, dab1ef4c5a his desire.962be843c4172246

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But…837a334ffc8d6678

His body, reacting to f740f9f021 Hyun-woo’s scent, was burning 35357d4d8b with lust. No matter f9cef52a91 how hard d03be4cef8 he tried 440bfd94e9 to suppress 55c827093e it with 0dc05efa40 willpower, the f708ccb39b heat surged 18a21bbbe6 from his 81a7caa568 core, blazing 37c2053fb8 through him 8da2e05d40 uncontrollably.fda88becd7699b3c

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