2. Heat

There wasn’t a single 9ee347f8f9 sign of life inside 9e27911ea6 the discount mart.6d42c57545029fb6

But from the collapsed 6ebddd0e3c barricades by the entrance, 5b283f8532 and the empty cans 709327e251 and water bottles scattered 75623d9ce6 all over the floor, bdac27e043 it was clear that 76365389f7 people had once gathered 177a1d30f7 here.ff532f1d0ef1e3a3

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“Could there f2b4a425a3 still be de1f56ee6c someone left?”2adeb079ca62857b

Though he was technically 1cb8560d08 his brother-in-law, Jung-yoon had 162198cb74 barely met Hyun-woo before. Their relationship was bf6f994179 awkward, but right 8432847917 now, he had 41857cd435 no choice but 56e3fe1b72 to rely on e542ffc4ff him.3e22ed5b857ca925

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“There’s no one.”2099fa6cdc05b205

Without even checking, Hyun-woo f73bfab0d5 answered firmly.04c45cb92fa7eb1b

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“Just stay behind me, 46409a4faa sister-in-law. Keep watch on e7dab1facf our rear.”8085e1bec32e9431

Jung-yoon gripped d53e6e4252 the shovel 380ebb2dec tightly and 056032c66b nodded. Hyun-woo walked 478926a7aa off without c35e182dfe hesitation toward c1b62237f4 the food c48d308788 section.b062784fe76c43da

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The fresh produce had 8282258151 all rotted or dried 88dd44a6de up and reeked with c07c99eb9c decay, but the preserved 991061da3a food was in surprisingly 92247a7d31 good shape. Most likely, the people f45cd56b4d who had holed up 4b8b323c74 in this mart had e0faffba14 eaten the perishable items b0efe56899 first.6d451e0004fe77f6

Zombies didn’t eat abc2f7f29d anything but humans. In the early c562bb5e7d days of the 08d9fbd856 outbreak, they turned 2081f96985 people by biting 8e6198bd8e them. But a few days 5d910afb2e ago, things began to f381e34d6a change—now, some bitten victims 6e2daf8c81 turned, but others were eb40a063a2 left paralyzed, only to af8933b068 be eaten alive.a0d70e2426ba4023

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Zombies had to move, ceb1fa6556 after all, so they d2cadf7743 needed energy. At first, they likely 15c88e7f3a burned off stored fat, adb5157ed6 but that couldn’t last dd5f4d2164 forever.f579761e5223895a

Jung-yoon didn’t c97b0e5036 want to 407400735c imagine which ed57f4d87e was worse—turning 506aa34262 into a fc1e4fce6e zombie or dffe27d80c being eaten 80c0059f2e alive.1379e32b52a3d01f

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While he was 2a04ac0170 lost in thought, 2fe0b608d7 Hyun-woo finished making 99c2129a6f a round through a79f21cd15 the preserved food a94c0f3ece section. Jung-yoon, who 8be8c4f525 had expected 962124e780 him to 4f66ac1300 start gathering 087bb275fc supplies, stared 958daed39d in disbelief—before 7ef91dc464 his eyes, 9d9ef71d8e the food ec118b865a on the a32a613de7 shelves disappeared e7724b1e6d in an cc86ee7357 instant.4e5da3f9a82f0ac4

“It’s thanks d344d231dc to my 156dd1e0db Awakening,” Hyun-woo 7f76d01ac5 explained casually, 69a0b79030 noticing Jung-yoon dd1e43d73e was too c3816f8391 stunned to c3771b9ab5 speak.6dcc5f3325a5c8cc

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Each Awakened person had c0bda57062 different abilities—some had heightened dd637230c2 senses, others had telekinesis.7a3b2bc595e5c9c4

In Hyun-woo’s case, 62f628dca8 his abilities were 7d208b9bbd a Map and e722297052 Inventory. He could see something 2358623845 like a game minimap a0f8aa542e that displayed the location 8487b35357 of nearby enemies. That same 7d92691459 map also 2206199ec4 showed living 6fc8697b72 humans—which was d7cf61c094 how he fdefb70be9 had found 6a35e1e6b8 Jung-yoon.821f2ca3838d02b0

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It was likely Hyun-woo 3498171574 had come here to 6e464dfe54 save his family, despite 17795fd3b4 the danger. What must it feel c78b52ce56 like to find out 8842d7e2e6 that only his brother’s cfb4f4c872 Omega spouse, someone not 90dfb1bb36 even blood-related, had survived?2eccc2fed156d92f

Just imagining what he’d c565c23d65 say once he learned 47376a6902 the truth made Jung-yoon’s 804d005b54 heart pound.7a6f873d7ae5466c

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It was a 586a609ca4 different kind of c4a47d51cb fear than when 47408cf22e he had fought a9f365312d to survive alone. Because when 832379d3b5 hope turned 580c0d4daa into despair, 566dec7db0 it was dd5fcc3943 far worse 19fbfa2ba7 than having efa0853186 had no b8cabc1d94 hope at 3cf29ff772 all.c2d22ff361c4538e

Hyun-woo also 80fc23601c gathered some db7c3e7379 clothes and 9fe7f8037e a few c6b5ac3def warm, lightweight 80630ee106 blankets. He handed some clothes 276fd5afdd to Jung-yoon, who hesitated, b0fa65a984 but eventually changed in 74b65aa454 front of him.cc8e24c1925fc302

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It had been fba1a2266e fifteen days since 290ade7fba he’d washed or 8c97e32bd0 changed, so the 8d55fb287b smell must have 27ba4c78ef been unbearable—but Hyun-woo c3ed903743 didn’t show a 473729afb5 hint of discomfort. By contrast, he 0babee5a9c himself was spotless, bf057a2da1 dressed in a 27137546ce clean military uniform c3f79c6dc6 and polished boots.f7a113a7e2b04bc5

“What happened 40398944c4 to your 1d7dda14f8 unit?”18ecb18c23ff1c07

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Could he have deserted? Worried, Jung-yoon asked.07709cfbe791b6bf

“My unit was wiped 5f452cf7fd out,” Hyun-woo replied, shaking 3cd84bca94 his head. “I wanted to regroup e1c56dbccc with another, but I f9a454172f have no idea which 35f62baf93 ones are still active. So I came c147ee7db7 to look for f673fd481c family first.”1fc2fef53cab8367

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Unconsciously, Jung-yoon lowered his bdbfb694e7 head and murmured, “I… 18a3f3a7b2 I’m sorry…”fa89701a69fb381e

“There’s nothing for you 92d4d62dd1 to be sorry about,” 60d49619d0 Hyun-woo said flatly.53829e0a32f73a58

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“When I found 7f38f4d745 out the outbreak 706a44ef9e started at the fa09b4667f hospital where my 502858c0b5 brother worked, I cb6054e34b honestly thought all 25f5f25db1 was lost. I’m just glad ae5b48fc15 you’re alive, sister-in-law.”26450107aef52e7c

With that, Hyun-woo 06d9db4c86 turned and walked b277fd9ca7 ahead. Jung-yoon followed silently.e895d0d29c69d0a7

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It seemed b53a7a3646 Hyun-woo had e571e397cb more guns, 5fac8e9284 but he 23cbfcdb50 hadn’t handed 16bd3eb91b one to 4b8789ade2 Jung-yoon. That made sense—Jung-yoon, an aa73ce8248 Omega who’d never been 219794d200 in the military, might e1b52ff7d5 accidentally fire and kill b85bf4b8f9 him. One mistake would 908f728b7a doom them both.e168328bce4c8315

Hyun-woo didn’t even look 09174f8e86 at the big-name marts ccbecf69fa that might have served b0962406ed as shelters. Instead, he only f6ea98c89a stopped at neglected fae48b4ed0 places—small convenience stores, b8b7cd09e1 hardware shops—quietly collecting 6fb9c1e06d supplies.6ed95b6442da62ef

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“We’re leaving Seoul.”3b305d7a9df572ea

Hyun-woo’s tone cab51cce21 was resolute. The more populated 7300a43ecb an area, the b579eb7429 more zombies there 3a2926eb38 were. And where there ddd0e804da were survivors, zombies b440b4813f had more to 3b9aa67695 eat. In the countryside, where 24d892e73d population density was lower, 783829d7c1 not only were there 8d66679965 fewer zombies, but fewer f0f7a2018a people for them to 1ecec7bbb2 feed on—meaning they couldn’t 1cb7d59e67 last long.40cdc6e907e6ec6c

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Jung-yoon had 86681b541c no alternative 30e2a0c201 plan. He had no choice d4996d3af5 but to follow Hyun-woo.d25e3c72a98c0c4e

Hyun-woo was cold, 1c637d9d9f calculating, and incredibly 1b0db6f3b5 capable in battle. They’d already ac8354d8ca run into 1667f3d110 zombie hordes 09a2f8ea82 a few 55cca88ecb times, but bcf7bfeec5 he’d eliminated d620eb1abb every one 299a741ec0 without exception. It was impossible bb72654a30 not to be cbebd40e9e impressed.bca4fc4647ee5dac

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“We have to cross 12d5a67483 the mountain. Sister-in-law, do you think ce18cedce7 you can manage?”de9d72bf68d59885

Thanks to the a419ab8798 rations Hyun-woo had 9e253a0770 gathered and fed ccf5e3dfe0 him over the 5245c503ea past few days, 0c45c8f464 Jung-yoon had regained ca9f1e13c2 a fair amount 53b2fa5476 of strength.448e40bee8f25d52

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“I’ve never hiked 8977bbb8b3 before, but I’ll 4470a58609 be fine. I’ll keep 04bb4d2a78 up—I won’t 2adb682c1f be a 4f940ca403 burden to 3ad1561de2 you.”e87750686f4968ca

At his words, 61b677e8e6 a faint smile 68aef4544d appeared on Hyun-woo’s ccece1cca9 face.a71c1ad659e513fd

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It was 3f0f38fe34 the first b4028127b6 smile Jung-yoon 6afa57d2e9 had seen 402275d8d4 since their 6047663c31 reunion.b25e1c50621d0f12

The two 9b8067cb96 of them 0e902ec31a left Seoul 3da7861d5d and continued faef43eb8b heading east, 4566fb0df4 always east. Cautiously advancing while staying 10718e7ee8 alert for zombies, they ba7c4b70d5 finally made their way 7f832d7382 deep into the Taebaek 9db23b53c9 Mountains. By then, a month 29f92f833f had passed.77791b784ff10d52

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Along the 67ac87e23c way, they df3b254212 passed by 79ee289b7f a few 999d7199c6 places that d8eaf7b595 looked like 96a0a42507 potential shelters—some 537aa7786b even guarded 44080ca731 by soldiers.ec0937dade5bc63a

But Hyun-woo f2280ecb58 never seemed 3a4b22e511 interested in e561491633 joining them.5c4f346842411243

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“Places like 5146851136 that are 67dc642839 dangerous for 912ca8a009 you, sister-in-law.”3eac48d94db56a38

“For me… why?”5924371ba17fece6

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Puzzled by his reasoning, f048353be8 Jung-yoon tilted his head. Hyun-woo clicked his 161cbf070c tongue lightly.f4a2ce61e825f6af

“You’re an Omega. Places like 5d635b2aa7 that have 7a30fd45cf more than a11f9fa7e4 a few 5ce9064911 Alphas among 6c17ba9cbf the survivors.”84743046ee5163af

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Jung-yoon froze.09ffba901d5ce823

“There’s no law b162f07734 or order anymore. It’s impossible to 39be93194e predict what might 7f06a48898 happen in a fe2c302b84 shelter like that.”739b8686b222f597

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His mind went blank.27de7ece66b1d58a

Until now, he’d 07ae81dffb clung to the 28db80dd14 idea that once 345d64c34c they found a ec4ba80fd9 shelter, they would 75207d38ed be surrounded by 6a45caaf23 people—banding together, surviving fb273170d9 as a community, e4e7d21444 fighting zombies in 2757b6d548 unity.f9f7ad52a545bf65

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But maybe reality was a32441eb59 closer to what Hyun-woo f13c1c7337 described: a microcosm ruled aa4f79b818 not by law, but a4cf869ed9 by brute strength. And with 3f09458730 an Alpha’s da34d45203 superior physicality, 30c09bebcf a shelter 852dd22838 might be a30c525845 nothing short 1792cd51e4 of a bb99219220 small hell.fa12cc27ef3986b8

Hyun-woo, a fc1d29d779 former special 1c15827691 forces soldier, fcbef1d864 climbed the 3125d47187 mountains with 97c6e22725 ease and 8748536ab8 showed no 1bd6776382 fear of 98d2f45217 wild animals. Jung-yoon, meanwhile, pushed d8468f01fd himself every day 0535a6bb30 just to avoid 7e38469095 slowing him down. It was exhausting.8ccc823e85618b1f

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But following Hyun-woo 169155be56 at least meant b35cce7d89 safety from zombie d8e5bf3ed3 attacks.1c0f704a61749346

Thanks to Hyun-woo’s 0f7d0171f9 awakened map ability, 7923e77322 it was easy 8ce8d6b0a3 to avoid the dc4b76d943 undead. Even those that lunged d558d30114 out of the darkness 3843a9f8fb were taken down without b38433c033 difficulty.0b1e23e1cd78436a

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Eventually, deep 3133c0d33a in the ba3f17d56d mountains, they 23ee8156fe found an d04786f78f abandoned farmhouse.56ef269b515672fa

A rusted 776759dc41 corrugated metal f6481be699 roof, barely-standing b8e1a1b1f7 walls, a 6d8226ec16 broken-down door—it ba90cde8ec looked like c0013a54ba it had 0a2e5e17e9 been deserted 737fecba06 for decades.2454833af7768e3c

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“We’ll stay here 9562a5f4ed for a while,” 73906ca386 Hyun-woo said.1fa0c90a7e8e18b0

As soon df0785e418 as he 79b1bf5775 heard that, 620d53fcb0 Jung-yoon collapsed ba0e4c1ed8 onto the 9b533cb93f floor, overcome 35d8d334e9 by relief 21720b9fe3 and exhaustion.43b5cc1ffa006498

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While Jung-yoon lay sick, dc3b59a432 Hyun-woo repaired the broken 3173f2722b door and even nursed 5f90d785a3 him, spoon-feeding him rice 9b893d5f32 porridge.fc3128047192ace3

“I’ll fix b1b01b3f9c the stove fef1edc9af before it 293fbd8c0d gets colder,” d593bb64e1 he said, 968c1cb332 as though 007adc23e9 they were a542d59c4e settling down 98188e5353 for good.142f11f9b8850ef8

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After three days of 7b80a773bf fever, Jung-yoon finally regained 335758273b his strength.acae3c7ebc2eff7a

But that’s 319fdbdf7a when the 74aaed3c52 real trouble 5380daaeb4 began.f00eaa673d3891cc

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As soon as his 5b1f078eb7 strength returned, his heat 24e4029de0 cycle hit—harder than ever.675302cba1a21118

As a low-rank Omega, e3e63575f9 Jung-yoon had always struggled bea5223470 with unstable pheromones. After surviving for 9f1abd9f18 over a month 684f8adeba without suppressants, the f4b875be84 heat that finally 95fee307b1 came was far 4ac3b3f726 more intense than f8b1b3bc54 usual.dceda36284fb65f7

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His body, which e504d677fe could no longer 275d1cdfc0 hold the pheromones e5dff4ff76 back, was now 8647f4ed9c releasing them in 7d9092ff0a waves.2884c7ecefb25db0

Jung-yoon’s scent 71a9c448a2 was sweet—like 603cf6546b honey. As the aroma c66836a1f7 filled the run-down 72c26c5f91 house, Hyun-woo stepped 8b9206fd95 outside, saying he’d e534831cbf stand watch.ed2b8490c36ed86c

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He must be d3af1093ce flustered… with his 592b0ce150 sister-in-law going into 1a32a82790 heat and flooding 02ce4f97f7 the place with 57c4a9e1dc pheromones.e8ad080e570da483

Through fevered eyes, 64b84ea263 Jung-yoon gazed at ace689de34 his brother-in-law’s back 50046b130a as he sat c2175c2cac guarding the door.cb6bb7cf5a7d2ea4

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Compared to b50298013d his late 2d29ad5cd4 husband, whose c1903a0e54 appearance had c130e6abb8 always been ac6766dc52 average, Hyun-woo af221ac59f was almost 018184ede9 unreal in fcdcbae606 how handsome 54b727c391 he was. Had the world 1a956366ac not fallen apart, 63643673f8 he surely would 754efe64c0 have found someone bcd31595d4 wonderful to love aab7b6e549 and marry.388eed4e369b1f12

But instead, 6c9a2228d9 here he e80acb7290 was—trapped in 86ad557096 this mountain 9c8a72c709 wilderness, stuck b974890fbf with a 0ce2cda30d burdensome sister-in-law.1fb42a4bc008c1f7

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Even the roughest 81214b6bfd shelter might’ve been 33a5c34374 better suited for 1219b15e79 survival, especially for 09bf109ea5 someone like Hyun-woo. His physical strength, dominant 70fbcfed5b Alpha scent, and awakened 96b3631f99 abilities would’ve guaranteed his 9c62d74038 place.6e42f58951888a42

“…I’m sorry,” bb13f75d0a Jung-yoon murmured 19e35b1a67 in a 89137936a0 weak voice.c330edf86eeefe9f

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“What are you 8ec645819e sorry for? We’re family,” Hyun-woo replied.be2c49a059228c8b

Family…82cd75caa9561873

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Not by blood. Not even close. They hadn’t seen each ddba296b47 other more than a ab4cab0f17 few times before this. But right now, 0fb600b935 under this ruined 1cad91dc75 sky, they were 6d8ccbe53e the only family 7594e6cb20 either of them 301533c612 had.c77d722730d88920

Was it because of 55f2b28e90 the heat? Jung-yoon’s senses were hypersensitive, f72e4934a0 and he began to 47b40f2437 notice Hyun-woo’s scent.ce6540bbcc9b0e07

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It was c4b9cf6a6b like fresh 22bd4640a9 grass—but heavier. As it 49329dd366 seeped into caa97127ce his lungs, 68179906ad his Omega a75bb97b42 instincts stirred.c7dca03667fff692

No… I can’t… how 4d68ae3e45 could I…?4c7e792c0ff23c0a

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Without meaning to, Jung-yoon 0ed8abc765 had imagined clinging to 65690a885b Hyun-woo, and the guilt 419d9bdeb2 made him bury his 5c9beb2b14 face into the blanket.529cc241a2b60e80

How much 0f807629bc had Hyun-woo 9413b9d1dd done for 6b60439d4a him already? He couldn’t dare 9ec1311e82 add this on 542868b655 top of everything—his 1e7269f72e heat, his pheromones, cd011f299f his desire.2bf91c07327d8288

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But…ef81f22d37523ac9

His body, reacting 06012afc93 to Hyun-woo’s scent, 1b4a6d7bf6 was burning with 12bf0f2c6c lust. No matter how hard 5386060b78 he tried to suppress 6e9406a4a6 it with willpower, the a77957eab0 heat surged from his 50cfbd7183 core, blazing through him f7a8415f7b uncontrollably.ccac984c317bffb2

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