SWZ Ch 13

The early June monsoon rain beat irregularly against the windows.

In the trunk of Hyuk and Jungwoo’s van was an old CD player. It had been there since they stole it from Jinwan’s camp, and a worn CD was stuck inside.

Jungwoo tried several times to eject the CD, but it wouldn’t budge. To make matters worse, the CD was deeply scratched, causing it to play only one track repeatedly.

As a result, the two of them had listened to one song by a famous indie band until they were sick of it.

*[Even if you don’t come back~ I’ll be standing here~ Always with the engine on.]

He felt like he could memorize the lyrics by now. Who was the singer? It was a name like a spice.

Junghyuk had told him the other day, but he couldn’t remember. Jungwoo racked his brain, trying to recall the name.

“Ha…… You have the leisure to be thinking about other things?”

“Ugh, weren’t we taking a break? Just a minute, Hyung.”

“Not Hyung, Cha Junghyuk.”

“Junghyuk-ah, let’s rest, okay?”

Hyuk pressed the stop button on the CD player. Click. As the button was pressed, the music stopped, and the sound of their breathing filled the car.

It hadn’t even taken two hours to get from the point where they parted ways with Jiyeon and her group to the outskirts of Pyeongtaek. Contrary to rumors, there were no threats from bandits, nor were there swarms of zombies.

They encountered a few lone wandering zombies, but few enough that they could ignore them.

In the meantime, Han Jungwoo, who had acquired a strange knack for effectively flinging away zombies while minimizing impact on the van, scoffed and stepped on the accelerator.

Shortly after arriving in Pyeongtaek, they discovered an abandoned campsite. It was a jackpot, complete with decent tents and a cooking area.

Hyuk and Jungwoo parked there and stayed for a few days to replenish their fuel.

On the third day of their stay, they luckily found a can of diced tomatoes and cooked something resembling a stew with jerky.

……Junghyuk’s cooking skills were truly impressive. If Gordon Ramsay had tasted it, he would have collapsed on the spot.

Jungwoo resolved never to let Junghyuk cook again. There was a reason why this Hyung only ate dried fish jerky all the time.

They went into the tent to sleep, enjoying the rare peace, and that night, Jungwoo saw the Libra constellation with his naked eyes for the first time.

Afterward, without a word, they excitedly undressed each other.

The situation was so peaceful that it felt like the situation on the Korean peninsula was not “The Walking Dead” but “Three Meals a Day.”

As it happened, Han Jungwoo’s bucket list included “car camping with a lover” and “camping with a lover,” so he had effectively checked one off his list.

Even if the other person wasn’t his lover but a sex partner, so what? Some might call this settling for second best, but Han Jungwoo liked both pheasant and chicken.

Once wasn’t difficult, twice was easier. Over the past few days, Han Jungwoo had realized that there were many different sexual positions in the world.

He also realized that neglect play wasn’t his thing, but spanking and toy play were quite enjoyable.

And… he learned that both he and Junghyuk really enjoyed roleplaying.

In the van on a rainy afternoon.

“Junghyuk-ah, let’s rest. I think I’m going to die……”

“And when were you thinking about other things? You won’t die, so open your eyes, 선배 (seonbae – senior). I’m feeling really good right now.”

That’s right. They were currently… roleplaying as senior and junior.

The starting point, of course, was Han Jungwoo.

—Ha… the day we first met, you were jerking off alone in the back.

—Huh, why are we suddenly talking about that…?

—What were you thinking then? Your face was so hot.

During sex with Hyuk, Han Jungwoo confessed that he had actually been fantasizing about hardcore SM with an anonymous university senior while masturbating.

As soon as he heard the confession, Hyuk burst out laughing and suggested roleplaying.

Surprisingly, however, Han Jungwoo was playing the “senior.”

Cha Junghyuk had no qualms about calling Jungwoo, who was much younger than him, “senior.” He rather enjoyed it.

He liked the way the little fluffball fearlessly called his name, “Junghyuk-ah, Hyuk-ah,” while clinging to him and moaning.

“Ah! Heuk! I’m, I’m coming……”

“Already? Hold on a little longer. Hmm? I love how tight you are right now. Since you’re the senior, you have to take care of your junior.”

He tightly pinched the tip of Jungwoo’s twitching penis, stopping him from ejaculating.

Unable to distinguish between the need to urinate and the feeling of pleasure swirling within him, Han Jungwoo writhed like a man possessed.

“Ah, Hyung! Mmm, stooop!”

“I told you it’s not Hyung, you keep getting confused. It’s Cha Junghyuk, Seonbaenim (a more formal/respectful way of saying senior).”

“Hick, Ju-Junghyuk-ah, stop it!”

Hyuk grinned and rubbed his buried cock in circles against Jungwoo’s inner walls. Jungwoo moaned in a pained yet ecstatic way, twisting his waist and letting out a desperate whimper.

“I, I can’t take it anymore.”

“Want to cum?”

“Mmm. Cum, I want to cum.”

“Then ask me. Say ‘Junghyuk-ah, let me cum.’ You’re the only one having fun, I haven’t cummed once yet. It’s frustrating when you keep going off on your own.”

Jungwoo gritted his teeth. This dirty talker seemed intent on cornering him until the very end.

‘But I like it. It’s thrilling. I’ll enjoy this to the fullest, Cha Junghyuk.’

He rubbed his heated body against the seat, feeling a thrilling surge of heat, like a contrarian.

A playful smile touched Junghyuk’s lips.

“Ha… Hyuk-ah. Junghyuk-ah… let me cum. I can’t hold it anymore. Please.”

“Really? Where do you want to cum?”

“I’ll cum like this. Anywhere.”

“Choose. Face, or mouth.”

Hyuk continued to thrust his hips, keeping his glans pinched shut. Unable to cum, Jungwoo was at a loss as he was repeatedly pushed to the edge.

“Stomach, on my stomach.”

He chose his stomach as the least objectionable option. Hyuk feigned disappointment and mischievously dug his nail into the tip of his covered glans.

“Heuk!”

“Stomach isn’t an option, Seonbaenim.”

“Ah! St-stop rubbing it. Hmm?”

“Do it in my mouth. You know I like it when I do it with my mouth.”

Hyuk brought the tip of his tongue to Jungwoo’s cock and smiled, his eyes crinkling into crescents.

“Ah, your face is so cute when you’re feeling it.”

“Hyuk-ah, instead of your mouth…”

“Too late.”

He ran his tongue along the length of Jungwoo’s shaft.

He then took the entire length into his mouth, sucking on it like a lollipop, causing Jungwoo to shudder, his toes curling.

“Haah! Ah! Ah, I’m…!”

Soon, the harsh panting subsided.

Hyuk swallowed Jungwoo’s cum without a flicker of hesitation and then stuck out his tongue.

“Jungwoo seonbae, look at this.”

Thin semen pooled in his mouth.

“Ha… why are you showing me that? No, why do you keep swallowing it… how many times has it been?”

He deliberately swallowed the semen and then licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.

“Let’s do it one more time. There’s something I want to try.”

“Mmm… what is it? No, what is it?”

What he pulled out was the vibrator that had been lying dormant in Jungwoo’s backpack for weeks. The very toy that had been Han Jungwoo’s bedfellow since the advent of the apocalypse.

“Ah, why that…”

“I want to put this and mine inside you at the same time.”

“Huh… w-what?”

“I’ll be gentle. It won’t hurt too much.”

“No, I’ll tear! No way! I’ll actually die!”

Han Jungwoo, who had been limp just a moment ago, recoiled, his body tensing up.

Strangely, ever since they left the parking lot, Junghyuk had been suggesting harder play.

He wanted to put a dog collar around Jungwoo’s neck, cover his mouth with tape, and now he wanted to shove both a vibrator and his tree-trunk-like dick inside him.

It was a thrilling suggestion for Han Jungwoo, who had masochistic tendencies, but the last request was just too much.

It was a tempting fantasy, but putting it into practice was a different story.

He didn’t want his ass to malfunction at a time when all the hospitals in the country were closed.

“That’s not happening! I can’t do it!”

“Can’t you?”

He pressed his lips against Jungwoo’s neck as if urging him, repeatedly pressing the vibrator against his entrance.

“It’s much smaller and cuter than my cock. …Look at this. It goes in so easily even with a light push.”

“Heut! Don’t, don’t put it in!”

The tip of the vibrator slipped into Jungwoo’s twitching hole.

Well, compared to Cha Junghyuk’s weapon-like cock, this was definitely a toy. But having both the toy and the weapon inside him at the same time was a different story.

“Let’s just try it once. It’ll feel good. Once you get used to it, you’ll probably be able to cum just by having it inside.”

“No! I can’t do it anymore. ‘Donghae,’ ‘Donghae’!”

When Han Jungwoo suddenly shouted “Donghae,” Cha Junghyuk raised his eyebrows and obediently withdrew his hand.

“Our Jungwoo is more of a scaredy-cat than I thought.”

“How can I put both Hyung’s thing and a toy in my ass? My ass won’t be split in two, it’ll be like a six-clove garlic bread.”

“Ha… Fuck. Jungwoo, please watch your mouth.”

“Donghae” was Han Jungwoo’s safe word. In situations where he couldn’t speak, pinching Hyuk’s body or tapping the floor three times was the signal.

Junghyuk had suggested it a few days ago when they agreed to incorporate various plays catering to Han Jungwoo’s preferences.

—Han Jungwoo. Should we set a safe word before we start?

—Do we really need one?

—If we don’t, you’ll suffer. Are you going to ask me to pull out because your back hurts again? I’m not pulling out anymore.

—…Ahem.

The reason “Donghae” was chosen as the safe word was simple. One of the things Han Jungwoo wanted to do most with a lover was to drive along the Donghae coastal road.

Originally, the official medical term for a herniated disc, “herniated intervertebral disc,” was almost chosen as the safe word, but Junghyuk rejected it because it was too long and difficult.

Jungwoo caught his breath and placed his limp legs neatly on the seat.

Looking down, he saw the other man’s cock, still standing tall.

“Wow, Hyung, you haven’t cummed yet?”

“Do you want to take care of it for me?”

“Mmm. I will.”

Jungwoo, with slightly more practiced movements than before, quickly stroked Hyuk’s cock. Soon, the twitching member in his hand spurted out a sticky white fluid.

Exhaling a hot breath, Junghyuk leaned in and pressed his lips against Jungwoo’s cheek.

“You’re good at handjobs now.”

“Let’s, let’s rest for a bit. It feels like we’ve been eating and having sex for days. I’m going to die at this rate.”

“I thought this was what you wanted?”

“I like it. I do, but… I’m reaching my physical limit.”

Jungwoo wiped his hand on a towel on the car floor and gently pushed Junghyuk away with his foot.

They had been enthusiastically going at it just last night. How could this man surpass the vigorous sex drive and stamina of a twenty-something, draining him completely?

They had planned to have a quick round before leaving the campsite today, but it had already been almost two hours.

“Let’s rest until the rain stops. We agreed to leave this place today…”

“I need to get you exercising, Jungwoo. You’re like this after just a few times?”

“Just a few times? Hyung, that’s deceitful. Normally, people get tired after a few times.”

Hyuk expertly wiped the sweat from Jungwoo’s inner thighs and face with a dry towel.

Meanwhile, Han Jungwoo hugged a pile of blankets, gently pounding his stiff lower back with his fist.

The blankets they used to sleep under smelled strongly of sex. Burying his face in them, the events of last night naturally came flooding back.

Last night, they hadn’t been in the car, but outside, in the open air, with their stomachs pressed together.

—Ah! This position, it’s too deep.

—You like it deep. Lift your hips more.

—I think I’m going to cum something weird, mmm!

—It’s okay. We’re outside. Cum here.

He smacked the back of his head against the seat. Junghyuk, no longer surprised, finished cleaning himself up and then came to sit in the front passenger seat.

“I see you have the energy to think strange thoughts. You were moaning like you were dying yesterday.”

“…You get used to it, Hyung.”

“Yeah. I’m starting to get used to it too.”

Should I drive? Junghyuk asked in a casual tone, stretching.

Jungwoo shook his head and replied.

“I’ll do it. Just let me rest a little longer.”

They weren’t short on food and supplies yet, but they needed to start moving soon to restock. Unfortunately, this meant they had to leave this campsite.

Jungwoo rubbed his face against the blanket, reluctant to move. The rain had made his back ache, and he felt languid.

“They said there were a lot of bandits in Pyeongtaek, but it was all just a rumor. Should we just stay here? There are no people, no zombies. It’s the perfect place to just fuck until we starve to death.”

“I’d like that too, but we’ll run out of food and gas soon. I’m getting nervous.”

You seem pretty relaxed for someone who’s nervous. Hyuk replied with a chuckle.

He picked up the map Jungwoo had left on the passenger seat and started marking it with a pen.

“Well, looking at the map, if we get lazy, we will starve to death. The only option is a rest stop, right? All the other nearby places seem to be wiped out.”

Hyuk opened a bag of jerky and offered a piece to Jungwoo.

Jungwoo accepted it naturally, turned on his side, and stared intently at Junghyuk.

Junghyuk was becoming increasingly proactive with each passing day. Initiating sex was a daily occurrence, and he would suggest inventive plays that Han Jungwoo couldn’t even imagine. Casual physical contact had also increased significantly.

It was a welcome development for Jungwoo, but he was curious about the reason.

‘Was the sex that good? Did Hyung have a lot of pent-up frustration?’

Or was he trying to get his fill before getting tired of me?

Jungwoo chewed on the jerky and watched Hyuk’s hand as he marked locations on the map with a pen.

His hands were large-knuckled, but long and slender. Watching them, they looked more like the hands of a skilled craftsman than a model.

As drowsiness washed over him, he closed his eyes slightly. Hyuk snapped his fingers next to Jungwoo’s ear as if to tell him not to fall asleep.

Startled, Jungwoo glared at him and pulled the blanket up to his eyes.

“Hyung. Can I ask you a random question?”

“Go ahead.”

“Is it fun being with me?”

“That’s… really random.”

“Is it fun? Or is it boring? Answer quickly. Don’t drive me crazy.”

“Why are you talking like this again?”

It’s fun. There’s no time to be bored. You cause trouble the moment I look away, and whenever I try to set the mood, you blurt out something nonsensical and ruin it. I can’t get a handle on you.

Hyuk poured out his thoughts as if he had been waiting for the question. He winked at Jungwoo and added,

“Why? Are you worried I’m tired of you?”

It was a joking question, but Han Jungwoo answered affirmatively without a moment’s hesitation. “Yes,” he said shortly, without a hint of playfulness on his face.

His reaction made Hyuk flustered.

“I’m not tired of you yet. We haven’t even been together long enough to get sick of each other. It’s still early.”

Cha Junghyuk meant it as a reassurance not to worry, but Jungwoo only focused on the word “yet” in his answer, and the rest of his words didn’t register.

‘He’s not tired of me yet. But he will be someday, right?’

Even if it’s a casual relationship, spending time together creates a bond. In some ways, this bond is more frightening than romantic feelings.

It can’t be helped if he gets tired of me. You’re you, I’m me. It was only a while ago that he was thinking they would go their separate ways, as they always had.

Han Jungwoo was already starting to feel a little sad about a separation that hadn’t even happened yet.

“Hyung, please tell me when you get tired of me. I don’t like being the one who gets dumped unilaterally.”

“What kind of nonsense…”

“No, but, we’ve been through life and death together, camping, driving, so I’m getting attached to you. If you suddenly abandon me on the road, I might end up drinking soju straight from the bottle.”

“What kind of person do you think I am? Did Im Joonhyung tell you I’m a jerk? I’ve been pretty good to you so far, haven’t I?”

Hyuk tilted his head and glared at Jungwoo, as if genuinely offended. Jungwoo awkwardly pulled the blanket up to his eyes.

“Don’t worry, I won’t just abandon you on the road.”

“Really?”

“What’s the difference between that and abandoning a pet? At the very least, I’d have to find you a new owner, right?”

Junghyuk chuckled and handed Jungwoo the map he had finished marking. The paper map, worn from being folded so many times, now had more “X” marks than before.

“Let’s get up. We need to get through this road before sunset.”

“Will it be okay with all this rain?”

“It looks like it’ll stop soon.”

As he predicted, the rain lessened soon after. Around the time the pouring rain subsided into a light patter, they left the campsite.

But as the rain began to let up, a fierce wind started to blow.

They had to stop several times along the way to avoid the horizontally driving rain.

The accident happened when they were only fifteen minutes away from their destination, the rest stop.

Screech!

An unresponsive steering wheel, a loud bang, and a swaying car body.

Damn it. There was only one answer. A flat tire!

The two looked at each other, now accustomed to such situations.

“Did you hear that popping sound just now? I wasn’t the only one, right?”

“I thought things were too peaceful lately. Let’s go.”

Fortunately, they hadn’t changed the tires on this van yet. This meant there was still a spare tire inside the car.

“Ha… well, things have been quiet lately.”

Jungwoo draped some clothes over his head and went outside. He wasn’t thrilled about doing outdoor maintenance in the rain, but the situation called for it.

But.

“Huh…”

“What’s wrong?”

Strange. This shouldn’t be happening.

“Hyung. There’s no spare tire.”

“What?”

“Crazy, there really isn’t one.”

There wasn’t. No spare tire.

…And so, the two were left standing dumbfounded in the middle of the road.

“I doubt there are any insurance companies still operating in the apocalypse, right?”

“Not just insurance companies, there are no tow trucks either. Are you sure there’s no spare?”

“Yes. I guess this van never had a spare tire to begin with.”

Jungwoo tugged at his damp hair.

The car had food, supplies, clothes, everything! Changing cars was a problem, and leaving it behind was a problem too.

“Are there any broken-down cars nearby? If there’s a similar model, we can take a spare tire. If not, we’ll have to change cars.”

“Okay…”

When he replied with a deflated tone, like a dejected new employee, Junghyuk patted his shoulder lightly.

“It’s time to change cars anyway. Are you really that down about it?”

“The van was spacious, good for naps.”

“Yeah, it was nice. But we needed to change it eventually. It’s not just that, the seats smell like… you know.”

“Ah! Stop it!”

“Let’s find a car first.”

Smoothly changing the subject, Junghyuk deliberately placed another piece of clothing over Jungwoo’s head.

The two began to search the vicinity, braving the rain. About thirty minutes passed.

“We’re fucked. There are no cars.”

“Ha, I know, right? …How can there be none at all?”

There were none. Fucking hell, no cars at all! How could there be none? They used to be everywhere!

“Going back to the campsite now would be crazy, right?”

“It’s a two-hour walk.”

Hyuk’s face darkened. They were facing a two-hour walk in this downpour, without even rain gear.

Walking was one thing, but leaving the van with all their survival supplies here and going on a long trip made him uneasy.

“Should one of us stay here and the other go to the campsite?”

“No way. This is the beginning of a horror movie. If we split up, one of us is definitely going to get into trouble. I’m absolutely against it.”

He said it jokingly, but Han Jungwoo had a point. If they split up and one of them ran into a wandering zombie, it would be a disaster.

With a car, it wouldn’t be a big problem, but without one, it would be a game of tag with death.

“Hyung, is there any other way?”

The downpour intensified. Rainwater soaked them to the bone. After some thought, Junghyuk held up three fingers.

“One, we both go to the campsite together. Two, we take only the essentials from the van and walk to the rest stop. Three, Han Jungwoo comes up with a way to fix the flat tire.”

“Huh?! What’s the third one?!”

Hyuk grinned. “Well, you never know, you might be able to fix it.” He playfully pulled Jungwoo closer, his arm around his shoulders.

As Hyuk wiped the raindrops from Jungwoo’s chin with his fingertips, Jungwoo’s face flushed slightly.

“We’re not far from the rest stop. We just need to hold out for about thirty minutes. Is there any way?”

There was a way. If he had the right materials, he could patch the hole in the tire enough to drive for about thirty minutes. The car would be shaky, but that was a risk he had to take.

Jungwoo frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then pulled a lighter with no gas from his sock. He had used it when he was kidnapped at Jinwan’s camp.

“Ah, it won’t light. Hyung, do you have a lighter?”

“I do.”

“This is crazy, but… I do have an idea.”

He remembered the electrical tape he used to fix the bumper of Jiyeon’s sedan. If he could use the lighter to melt the tape and make it stick firmly, maybe he could seal the hole.

Junghyuk’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he listened to Jungwoo’s plan.

“That might actually work.”

“Ugh, if it fails, let’s hold hands and walk to the campsite together.”

And, Han Jungwoo’s ingenious plan worked.

After thoroughly drying the tire with a towel, he applied electrical tape over the hole and used the lighter to melt the edges, securing it firmly.

They wouldn’t be able to speed down the road like before, but it was drivable.

“What am I going to do with our competent and cute little fuzzball? There’s nothing you can’t do.”

“This is just a temporary fix. If we encounter zombies on the way, we’ll have to politely yield. And it’s going to be a bumpy ride, so hold on tight.”

As he started the engine and stepped on the accelerator, the car lurched violently. It bounced like they were driving on a rough road, but it was manageable.

‘My dad would have a heart attack if he saw this.’

Jungwoo gripped the steering wheel, sweating for the first time since getting his license.

Junghyuk, sitting next to him, was also smiling, but he looked equally tense.

“Personally, I’d rather die in a car accident than be bitten by a zombie.”

“Don’t jinx it! We’re not going to die.”

Despite his confident words, Han Jungwoo felt uneasy.

“Jungwoo, look out!”

To make matters worse, zombies started to appear.

On the positive side, it meant there was a place where people had gathered, resulting in a large outbreak of infected nearby. On the negative side, it meant that the drive ahead would be as dynamic as a game of “Cart Rider.”

“Hyung, trust me?”

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Hyuk chuckled. “Of course,” he replied, also tightening his grip on the passenger side handle.

Jungwoo skillfully dodged the zombies, but every jolt and swerve made them both swallow nervously.

“It’s like a live-action version of ‘Cart Rider.’ Hyung, you like thrills, right? How do you feel?”

“This is the most thrilling moment of my life. But I’d rather not do it again.”

I don’t like thrills I can’t control.

As he added those playful words, something slammed against the side of the car with a thud.

The impact rocked the car, causing it to tilt. It happened to hit the side with the flat tire, causing the van to list slightly.

“What the hell was that?”

“Han Jungwoo! Look out!”

As Jungwoo turned his head towards the passenger side window, a blood-soaked head, its mouth gaping open, scraped against the glass.

“Holy shit!”

Don’t brake. Keep driving! Han Jungwoo’s instincts screamed.

If he braked, the patched-up tire might blow again. If the tire blew in this condition, they were done for.

He slammed his foot down on the accelerator. The side window was covered in gruesome handprints, staining his vision red.

‘Shit, I can’t see properly.’

Pouring rain, pursuing zombies, a flat tire, and now obstructed vision.

His mind went blank as all the worst-case scenarios converged. Jungwoo didn’t see the other zombies rushing towards Junghyuk’s side.

“Han Jungwoo!”

Around the time Junghyuk noticed something approaching and called out a name, zombies, ravenous and driven by a terrifying momentum, slammed against the vehicle and began snapping their jaws.

“Hyung! The car…!”

The vehicle tilted. Fortunately, Jungwoo managed to steer the wheel and avoid flipping over completely, but they couldn’t avoid a collision with a roadside tree.

KWAANG!

The windows shattered, spraying shards of glass everywhere.

The moment they hit the tree, Jungwoo knew instinctively:

This is definitely a major accident. I knew we shouldn’t have tried to fix that flat tire.

With a crashing WANGCHANG, the van’s front bumper crumpled pathetically. Shards of glass rained down fiercely, but thankfully, Cha Junghyuk, who had wrapped a shirt around himself like a raincoat, escaped serious injury.

“Shit…”

Junghyuk, clutching his forehead, pushed himself up from where he’d slumped forward. He was thankful he’d consistently worn his seatbelt, mindful of Han Jungwoo’s aggressive driving.

His knee ached from hitting the dashboard hard, but nothing seemed broken or dislocated. Luckily, the rest of his injuries seemed minor enough to be treated with basic first aid.

“Han Jungwoo, are you alri…?”

But the color drained from Junghyuk’s face.

Han Jungwoo, his head lolling at an awkward angle, lay slumped over the steering wheel. A trickle of blood flowed from his forehead down to his chin.

“Jungwoo…”

He stopped himself from shaking the other man awake. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to shake someone with a head injury. Instead, he reached behind Jungwoo to pull him out of the driver’s seat. But then…

“Fuck.”

Drawn by the scent of blood, zombies crawled and lurched towards the gaping hole in the windshield, reaching out with grasping hands. The smell of blood mingled with the pouring rain and spread in all directions.

His partner unconscious from a head injury, himself luckily with only some leg injuries, and three ravenous corpses snapping at them.

“Han Jungwoo, Han Jungwoo!”

He repeatedly called out his name, but Jungwoo didn’t stir.

His face was as peaceful as it had been in the tent the past few days. As if he were having a sweet dream.

Junghyuk felt a sinking feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

The car was wrecked, his partner in the driver’s seat was unconscious, zombies were surrounding the vehicle. It was raining, and the campsite was more than two hours away on foot.

The rest stop was only a thirty-minute walk, but there was no guarantee they’d find any solutions to their predicament there.

…What if I used the unconscious Han Jungwoo as bait and escaped?

He glanced at Han Jungwoo lying limply in the driver’s seat.

A zombie, having climbed onto the car using the mangled bumper, reached towards Junghyuk.

+++

A thud, thud echoed as something struck dull metal. His whole body ached as if he’d been beaten. Especially his head.

“Ugh…”

He was incredibly thirsty. How did he fall asleep? He’d been driving in the rain, the tire blew out, and then they encountered zombies…

“Huh, Junghyuk Hyung.”

Was Hyung okay? Han Jungwoo forced his head up and touched his throbbing forehead. Dried blood crusted over the wound, chilling him.

Not only that, but the car had crashed into a tree, and he was bundled in the trunk, wrapped in blood-soaked blankets and clothes.

The material wrapped around him was the dress shirt he’d picked out for Junghyuk at the clothing store. The white fabric was now completely stained with blood, as if it had always been red.

Jungwoo finally tried to move his limbs.

“Damn it, this hurts like hell…”

The back seats were pushed all the way back, so as soon as he raised his head, he bumped it against them. He felt like baggage hidden in the trunk.

‘Wait, what about the zombies outside?’

The last thing Jungwoo saw before losing consciousness were zombies rushing towards them, screaming horrifically. They couldn’t have just wandered off, so they had to be nearby.

He turned his head like an owl, peering through the rear window of the trunk. The outside was eerily quiet.

“Are they gone…?”

There were no zombies, not even a single insect. Junghyuk was also nowhere to be seen.

Did he get bitten?

Forgetting his pain, he wriggled his body and climbed out of the trunk through the back seats.

Fortunately, the back door handle wasn’t broken, so he could get out easily.

“Junghyuk Hyung! Cha Junghyuk!”

Ignoring his battered body, he called out Junghyuk’s name.

Quite some time must have passed since the accident, as the horizon was already darkening.

Did they run into robbers? Or did he get bitten by zombies? Did he go to the rest stop for help?

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind. There were bloodstains nearby, presumably from the zombies, but the zombies themselves were gone. There were no signs of anyone being dragged away either.

“Where did Hyung go…?”

His heart pounded.

Did he really just leave me here after all this? He probably went somewhere to get help. Yeah, that’s it.

Thump, thump. His breathing grew ragged with each rapid heartbeat.

But what if he really abandoned me here?

He suddenly remembered what Junghyuk had said before they left the campsite.

—”What’s the difference between this and abandoning a pet? At least find it a new owner, right?”

He bit his lower lip. No matter how messed up Junghyuk was, he wouldn’t just abandon someone. He had a conscience.

Then, with unfortunate timing, Lim Joonhyung’s nonsense about not trusting people flashed through his mind, but Jungwoo forced himself to ignore it.

He needed to think rationally.

He was injured, the car was wrecked, and he didn’t know when Hyung would return. Or if he even could. Staying here or moving were both dangerous.

Han Jungwoo gently touched the bumpy wound on his forehead.

The bleeding seemed to have stopped, but his arms and legs, already riddled with minor injuries, weren’t in good shape. His chronic back pain was even worse.

As he bent down to check inside the car, his joints creaked.

“Ugh… It hurts.”

It was about a thirty-minute walk to the rest stop. If Junghyuk had somehow dealt with the zombies and gotten out of the car, he’d likely have headed there.

Judging by the darkening sky, at least three or four hours must have passed since the accident.

If Hyuk had gone to the rest stop to seek help or find another car, he should have returned by now.

‘He’s not dead, is he?’

He unconsciously bit his fingernails. The van’s windows were shattered, and the tires were wrecked; it looked impossible to drive, let alone stand upright.

That left him with two choices: go look for Junghyuk, or get back in the broken van and wait for someone to pass by.

‘Wait a minute. What if…’

Suddenly, something that could confirm Junghyuk’s status flashed through his mind. Jungwoo scanned the wrecked van, searching for Hyuk’s duffel bag.

The duffel bag held his essential survival supplies. If it was still there, it meant he planned to return soon. He never left his important belongings far behind.

However…

“…It’s gone.”

The duffel bag was missing.

“Haha.”

It was unlikely that the zombies had grabbed the duffel bag and strolled down the road.

The missing bag meant that Cha Junghyuk had somehow dealt with the surrounding zombies and escaped.

A wave of nausea washed over him.

Cha Junghyuk, who meticulously emptied his backpack but always left behind a can of food.

Cha Junghyuk, who abandoned him in the middle of the road but cleared out the zombies and hid him in the trunk.

“Fucking really…”

“This is really too much.”

Jungwoo gritted his teeth. He felt somewhat, no, quite a bit wronged.

If you’re going to be cruel, be cruel to the end. If you’re going to be kind, be kind to the end!

“Right, I should have trusted someone trustworthy. It’s my fault for trusting a con man.”

Just then…

HONK!

A deafening horn blared.

Jungwoo’s mind flashed back to the image of Hyuk arriving at Jinwan’s camp, driving the van recklessly.

“Hyung…!”

Blinding headlights shone directly at Jungwoo. What turned him around was a vehicle with a mangled windshield.

“Did you have an accident?”

“Uh…”

An unfamiliar female voice. It wasn’t Cha Junghyuk, it was a stranger.

“You look injured. Do you want a ride?”

He instinctively groaned inwardly and stumbled backward.

But that car…he felt like he’d seen it somewhere before. It was familiar. Jungwoo shielded his eyes from the glare with his hand.

“Could you turn off the lights? They’re too bright, I can’t see.”

“Sorry. I… Wait, haven’t we met before?”

Click. As the headlights switched off, the features of the person in the driver’s seat became clear. It was only natural, considering the windshield was completely shattered.

Insulating tape was meticulously wrapped around each broken edge of the glass. The driver was the woman he’d met at the clothing warehouse a while ago.

“Huh, the engineer from last time!”

“Are you, by any chance, Lee Hyesu?”

She quickly got out of the car and approached him.

Up close, she looked even more haggard and thinner than when they last met. Her two companions were nowhere in sight; she was alone in the car.

A brief, awkward silence hung in the air. After assessing each other’s condition, they forced the despair from their faces, trying to ignore the bleak atmosphere.

As soon as Han Jungwoo saw the state of Hyesu’s car, he could roughly guess what had happened.

Bloodstains on the seats, shattered side windows, a tattered bumper, and red handprints on the car body.

‘She lost her companions to the zombies.’

Lee Hyesu seemed to have reached the same conclusion about his situation, as she simply offered him her hand instead of saying anything.

“Come to my car first. It’s dangerous to have the smell of blood around at night.”

Jungwoo clasped her hand with a bitter expression.

Inside the precariously creaking car, the two spoke in hushed tones.

Lee Hyesu explained that she had arrived in Pyeongtaek last week, searching for a base camp, when they were attacked by zombies and she lost two of her companions.

The remaining companion panicked, grabbed all the food they had stored in the car, and disappeared.

Jungwoo recalled his first meeting with Hyesu. He remembered her mentioning a medical condition and that her brother was among her companions.

“Is your illness any better? Come to think of it, didn’t you say you had a brother with you back then?”