one of the guys in the kitchen at work got called irritating and replied âI am not irritating. You just find me irritating. There are many people who love me.â I think we should all adopt his attitude
I love talking with neurotypical people about my executive dysfunction because I'm like "yeah there's this invisible wall in my head that I'm incapable of getting past no matter what I do and it stops me from doing things" and they're like what the actual fuck
Waking up was always the hardest part of the day for you. Your body resisted it with all its might and sometimes the temptation was too strong to resist.
Or at least it would be if you didnât have an older brother there to smack you with a pillow until you got up.
Your arms instinctually went up to protect your face as you screeched when your attacker would not stop. You heard Gwi-nam laugh as you rolled around in your bed, trying to avoid the insistent hits of the fluffy pillow. Finally, he stopped. He was grinning until it turned into an annoyed scowl.
âI have been trying to wake you up for the past 30 minutes, now you only have 15 to get ready for school or else Iâm leaving you here.â
You knew the threat was empty and he would wait all day for you if you needed it but you still practically leaped out of the bed at his words.
âOkay, okay! Iâm sorry! Iâll be ready soon, I promise!â You quickly rushed to the bathroom to start your morning routine, brushing your teeth only until you were satisfied they felt and smelled clean before going on to styling your hair into a simple but cute hairdo. Quickly getting changed, you rushed out of your room and slid into the kitchen using your socked feet. Grabbing a quick breakfast time you could eat on the way, you rushed to put your shoes on.
When Gwi-nam walked out of his bedroom, unrushed and calm, you looked at him, confused.
âWhy arenât you rushing?â You questioned, slightly out of breath and slowly catching on as his lips tilted into a large and mischievous grin. You looked at the clock on the wall of your living room and looked back at him comically slowly. It was 40 minutes before you needed to leave. âOh, you little shit! Iâm gonna kill you!â You stood up, one shoe still untied but that didnât stop you from running after him as he ran away and laughed loudly at your reaction.
You and Gwi-nam walked across the crosswalk, both walking in a comfortable silence until you both saw them.
Myeong-hwan and his 'friends.'
The small smile you wore as you walked dropped as soon as you saw them.
âHave fun,â You whispered to Gwi-nam, trying to keep the bitterness out of your tone. It seemed to work because he just gave you a small smile and ruffled your hair which you smacked him for. Ignoring the way his entire persona changed as he walked over to the group, you put your headphones on and turned your music up until you could no longer hear the chatter of the people around you before walking into the school and heading for your classroom, knowing the bell would be going off soon.
You arrived just as the warning bell went off and went to sit in your assigned seat next to the window beside Nam-ra. She was already there, early as always, and you gave her a small smile before sitting down, taking your headphones out and putting them away as well as turning your phone off completely and taking out your old one. Luckily, you hadnât been caught not turning in your phone yet and Ms. Park continued to believe the phone you turned in each day without fail was your only phone.
You were a good student, why wouldnât she believe you.
Ms. Park was one of the only people in the school - including the teachers - who never really looked at you based on who you were related to, which you were always grateful for.
You slipped your actual phone into your backpack just as all the other students started to flood into the classroom.
You saw one person in particular who walked in. She always sat behind you, relatively quiet and you only ever saw her hang around one person who you assumed was her close friend if not her boyfriend. You never really knew her or anything but you remembered her name from it being mentioned in passing. Hee-su.
You turned around as you saw her walk unsteadily to her desk which sat right behind Nam-ra. Her skin was as pale as ash and her face seemed lightly shiny with a thin layer of sweat. She clutched her stomach almost in pain.
âH-hey, are you okay?â You questioned her hesitantly. Rightly so as she looked up to you in a panic and stared at you with a slightly terrified look in her eyes.
âYes,â she said almost too quickly. You felt hurt for a moment as you figured she was just scared of you because of your brother like so many others were until you saw the fear in her eyes. This wasnât a fear directed at you but more of a fear of getting found out, of being caught. âY-yes, Iâm fine.â Her hand found its way back down where she almost imperceptibly caressed her sweatshirt covered stomach. You let out a silent gasp and she looked at you with an unbridled amount of terror when she realized you had figured it out.
You gave her a hesitant and small, but extremely genuine, smile as you slowly reached for the hand that she had resting on her desk to give it a small squeeze. She returned the smile after a moment of her face being in complete shock as she was completely shocked by your actions. You let her hand go and turned around just as you noticed two girls behind her putting on sweatpants underneath their skirts. You let out a small faint laugh as you did see them. Although you stopped doing that years ago, it was always a perk to know how to change your clothes in public even while wearing a full set.
A large group of boys gathered your attention once you turned back around and you watched them as they talked and laughed with each other. You didnât bother listening to their conversation but you just watched as your arms formed a pillow on the desk for your chin to rest on and you dreamed about what it would be like to be a part of a group like that.
Suddenly, the girl you knew as On-jo stormed into the classroom, obviously annoyed, and threw a backpack at Cheong-san who just smirked at her as she sat down. You smiled lightly as you saw their interaction, they did this every single day without fail and you couldnât help but find it endearing. Anyone with eyes could see that Cheong-san liked On-jo except for her apparently.
Even though you didnât know any of the people in your class, you knew all of their names. Perks of being the outcast you guessed. You hardly had anyone to focus your attention on so you focused your attention on the people around you. You had Nam-ra but she was always absorbed into her schoolwork.
She had disclosed her insecurities and fears before: how she was scared to let her grades drop and her mom to get angry at her; how she was scared to open up to anyone else and get to know them because of how her mother would compare her to them as well as because she never really knew how; how she was hesitant to let you over to her house or even just tell her mom about you because she wasnât sure how she would react to you being apart of the Yoon family. Though Nam-ra never judged you based on your family for even a second, she knew her mother would.
It hurt at times but you understood.
So you decided to get to know your classmates through your ears and their voices.
Getting snapped out of your thoughts when the right classroom door opened again, you noticed a familiar tall figure walk in and take his bag off before walking over to the group of boys who were still talking about a girl who worked at a store they had went to.
You heard Wu-jin make a comment about smelling his feet from across the classroom and you let out a small giggle.
One which caught the attention of the talked about boy and he looked over at you with his brown eyes. He shot you a small smile before walking over and draping his arms over the shoulders of Gyeong-su and Cheong-san.
âThen Iâll break his fingers-â Wu-jin started but was cut off as a familiarly irritating voice filled the air and Na-yeon walked in.
âHey!â Unfortunately for Gyeong-su, he was sitting on her desk so he gained the full force of her wrath.
âWhoa. What the fuck?â Joon-yeong exclaims as Na-yeon walks up to them and he flinches slightly at her presence which you stiffle a laugh at, not bothering to pick your head up from your arms as you continue to watch them, waiting for what would happen next.
âGet off of there. You stink.â Na-yeon said to Gyeong-su and he got quickly got off, a little confused by her harsh demeanor.
âOh, okay. My bad,â he said while getting up. âWhatâs the big deal? Sorry.â He tried to use his sleeve to wipe the surface of the desk off before she yanked her bag off and smacked his hand away.
âCut it out! Youâre so dirty,â she insulted.
Gyeong-su blinked once as he comprehended what she just said to him. âHey, what the hell?â He asked, you could hear the slight trace of annoyance and hurt beneath the calm outer tone he portrayed.
Cheong-san came up behind him and wrapped his arms around him to prevent him from starting something in the classroom. âHey, just let it go,â he said as the bell chimed.
âWhat the hell is your problem?â Wu-jin asked as he walked past her and she elbowed him in the ribs.
At the display of slight aggression, you lifted your head from your hands and Na-yeon noticed immediately. The fight went out of her eyes and she just stood there, looking at you fearfully as you sat back in your chair and glared at her with your arms crossed and your head tilted ever so slightly to the side.
The others did not seem to notice her lack of involvement in the argument anymore and continued asking her questions before Ms. Park entered the room. âHey, you punks.â Her tone implied how tired she was of dealing with her studentsâ shit and you turned your head to the window to hide your slight smile at it. âCome on guys. Take your seats. Come on, move it!â She rolled her eyes as she got to her desk and placed her things down as the class finally settled down and everyone was in their seats.
âHi there,â she said to the class, her face still portraying her annoyed face until she heard half of the class repeat her greeting back to her, some even waving childishly at her. She smiled. âHi. Good morning. Time to hand in your phones, everyone!â
Starting with the front row, everyone stood up to hand their phones in and place them into the grey box with little numbered rectangular holes marking each one for the phones to fit in until the end of each day. Before you could even consider standing up, Nam-ra grabbed your phone from where it was placed on your desk and started walking towards Ms. Parkâs desk with it. It was something she had offered to do the second day you had started chatting and considering each other to be friends and she had done it ever since.
After everyone had given their phones over, Ms. Park started speaking again. âWhoâs in touch with Hyeon-ju?â Nobody answered but a few looked hesitant. âNobody? So none of you have tried calling her today?â
Joon-yeong cleared his throat before speaking, âUh, we cleaned the science lab together yesterday, but I havenât seen her since.â
She sighed, âOkay, if anyone hears from her sometime within the next few days, let me know right away, okay?â Everyone nodded and replied with âOkayâs.â She pulled one of the phones from the box and started doing something with it as she started going back to the topic of school. âExams start soon, so get your acts together.â
You could see from in front of you the two âbrothersâ fighting as Wu-jin saw Dae-su holding his phone underneath the table when suddenly his and another phone, you guessed either On-joâs or I-sakâs just based on location, rang out with a notification.
âI heard that,â Ms. Park let out a little groan of annoyance. âHand over your phones, please.â
As Dae-su and I-sak stood up to go and turn their phones in, Dae-su made a show of holding onto his phone for dear life with two hands as Ms. Park tried to take it. It slipped from his grasp and she gave him a certain look as he backed away and gave a slight bow in apology.
Noticing one of the phones was not what she knew it should have been, Park took it out and saw it was On-joâs number slot. âOn-jo. This is your phone from last year.â The class snickered. âTake it please.â As On-jo did the walk of shame to replace her old and broken phone with her new and working one, Ms. Park placed the box in one of her drawers. âI will be back in a few minutes. Nam-ra, please watch over the class in my absence.â
Nam-ra gave a nod and Ms. Park smiled before walking out. True to her word, she was only gone for a few minutes before coming back in and starting the class.
For the majority of the class, you just drew little figures and doodles in the corner on your notebook, not writing much down and only paying attention through listening. Because your brother took this class last year, you would often sit down with him at the kitchen counter after school and do your homework with him. Being too skilled for your own grade, he would always print a copy of his work for you to do. You would whine and complain each time but it was nice to have something a bit more challenging - especially something like learning a new language as complex as English - since you were constantly bored in class.
Little did you know it would lead to you being bored in most of your classes the next year too. Oh well, at least you were fluent in English now.
ââIn fact, none of us are completely free from prejudice. We all have preconceived ideas about others.ââ Ms. Park recited in English before switching back to Korean. âHere, âfree fromâ means the lacking in or unencumbered by. Anyone want to interpret this?â She started tapping on the wall as she waited for someone to volunteer. Just before she was about to pick someone to answer, the scraping of a chair against the granite floor was heard and you turned in your seat to look at Hee-su as she stood up. She looked even worse than she did before. âOkay. Hee-su?â
Ms. Park smiled in relief as she waited for her to respond only to get a shaky and quiet reply back. âI need to use the bathroom.â
âOh, okay. Go.â
You gave Hee-su a reassuring smile when she looked down at you in a panic and you could see some of her anxiety melting off of her shoulders before she grabbed her bag and slowly walked - or wobbled - out of the classroom and in the direction of what you knew to be the nurseâs office.
Just as you were about to turn back around, your eyes caught on anotherâs. Su-hyeok sat there and was looking at you with a soft look in his eyes and his lips upturned into a small smile that he seemed to only have reserved for you based off of how youâve seen him smile around his friends.
To be honest you werenât sure if you should feel special or left out.
Giving him a small smile back, you turned back around in your seat just as the teacher called on Nam-ra to answer and she expressed her interpretation of the quote.
âThe truth is, all of us have some sort of prejudice. We all have preconceptions about other people,â she said confidently and you looked down to hide your proud smirk while twirling your pencil around in your hands.
âHmm, okay, nice,â Park praised before directing her attention to Su-hyeok who was drawing and smiling into his notebook, obviously not paying attention to what Nam-ra was saying or anything being taught. âNext, Bare-su. Stand up.â
Some of the students let out small giggles as they heard what she called him. âYes?â he asked, unsure of why he was being called on.
âWhatâs with âBare-suâ?â She asked and he just stood there for a few moments in silence as he comprehended her words. Luckily, or unluckily depending on who you ask, Joon-seong answered for him.
âItâs short for Barefoot Su-hyeok. Bare-su for short.â
âHe hates wearing socks. Heâs so weird about it,â Dae-su interjected after Joon-seong was finished before looking back at Su-hyeok and maintaining eye contact while saying, âI can smell it from a mile away,â and plugging his nose dramatically as his face scrunched up as if smelling something extremely gross.
You let out an airy laugh that you thought was quiet enough to not be heard, especially under the noise of your classmates laughing as well, but Dae-su practically gave himself whiplash from how fast he spun around to look at you in surprise.
It was no secret you were not the most expressive of people at the school, competing with Nam-ra for how little you showed most of the time.
Although just like her, it was a defense mechanism.
âOkay, Bare-su,â Ms. Park said after her own laughs had calmed down. âWhat did Nam-ra say a minute ago?â She interrogated and you could basically see how Su-hyeok froze under her gaze.
Dae-su, who still had been looking at you in shock, whipped back around to face forward when you caught his eye and gave him a small and unsure smile.
âUhâŠâ Su-hyeok started and you looked back over at him only to see him looking at you almost in a plea for help. You were sure to everyone else, though, it just looked like he was looking at Nam-ra.
The whole class mocked him and he smiled while rolling his eyes. âShe was absolutely correct. A hundred percent,â he confidently stated and the class, including Ms. Park, all laughed at his attempt to get out of the situation.
âWhat was her absolutely correct answer then?â Ms. Park didnât let up.
âHmm⊠All right,â he started again and shot you one last hopeful look. âI-huh?â
Everything stopped when the left door slid open and a bloody Hyeon-ju walked into the classroom. A few students stood up and walked toward her before she collapsed onto the floor with Ms. Park just barely catching her. At that, everyone, including yourself, stood up and rushed over to the scene. You slid onto your knees to kneel beside your teacher, ignoring how your knees ached from the impact, and placed your fingers over her pulse to find her heartbeat extremely irregular; speeding up to a BPM of 160 then slowing back down to a 40.
âHer heartbeat is irregular, Iâve never felt or seen something like this. She is also sweating profusely despite being very cold. She should be covered with blankets to help sweat off whatever infection sheâs contracted as well as taken to the hospital immediately.â You told Ms. Park in a low tone that only the people in the small circle surrounding the girl could hear.
Then, you could hear the soft and slurred words she was saying, leaning your head down closer to hear what they were.
âMs. ParkâŠâ she whispered, her eyes unfocused and head lolling back despite being in Ms. Parkâs arms.
âYeah, itâs me. Do you recognize me?â Said woman asked.
âHe grabbed me⊠The science teacher grabbed me and locked me up.â
Ms. Park, as well as most of the other students, had a shocked look on her face before she shook it off. âHe locked you up? The science teacher? Mr. Lee Byeong-chan?â
âHe tied me upâŠâ Hyeon-ju sounded more slurred yet scared by the second as she continued with her story.
âI told you, didnât I?â Na-yeon said arrogantly from behind the scene.
âNa-yeon, shut it,â you spoke out quietly while taking off your jacket and using it to cover Hyeon-juâs startlingly still body. You assumed it must have been because of the shock.
Because of your concentration, you didnât see the petrified look on Na-yeonâs face and how she bowed down slightly toward you.
âI suggest we take her to the infirmary at least, there you should call for an ambulance to come and get her so she can be put into more suitable hands,â you started to take over the situation since you could tell Ms. Park was obviously too shocked and shaken by what was happening that all she could do was hold Hyeon-ju in her arms. âSu-hyeok, youâre the strongest so you should carry her there,â you looked him in the eyes as you spoke and could see the determination lighting a fire within them. âOn-jo, I-sak,â both girls stiffened at your voice being directed at them which you tried not to let affect you or your voice and continued with your instructions. âYou two should go along with him and Ms. Park to be of any assistance they might need. The nurse is alone today so she might need help.â
Both girls nodded at your instructions and you quickly grabbed Hyeon-ju to help situate her onto Su-hyeokâs back. Just before they all left, you whispered a quick, âBe careful,â into Su-hyeokâs ear and he only gave a very mild nod before rushing off with the three girls.
You all sat there as you waited for the teacher and students to get back, most ignoring Ms. Parkâs instructions of staying in your seats and doing your school work in favor of gossiping or playing cards with each other.
You sat with your headphones in and your music playing just loud enough to blare out the noise of everyone talking as you rested your head on your arms once again. When I-sak came in, you lowered your music and heard her talking about what happened with the girl.
âItâs no joke. She was biting people and thrashing around!â As you tried to gather all of her symptoms together and come up with a diagnosis, the closest thing you could come up with was just a cold with how little information you were given. The biting part didnât make a whole lot of sense.
Whatever the science teacher did to her must have been something extreme.
Before you knew it, the bell had rung and neither On-jo nor Su-hyeok had returned so you wrote a note on a sticky note for Su-hyeok and waited for everyone to leave the classroom. Nam-ra told you she would save a spot for you at your normal lunch table until you told her not to worry about it and you were more than likely just going to eat it while underneath the cherry blossom tree like you did most days anyways. She nodded in acknowledgement and gave you a smile and a wink as she saw the name written on the sticky note. Once everyone had left, you walked over to Su-hyeokâs desk and placed the sticky note on his desk. As you went to walk away, you noticed a drawing of the top half of a girl holding a flower in the top right corner of his open-notebook. She looked familiar but you couldnât place your finger on it. Noticing the slight pang in your chest, you shook your head and just decided you would ask him about it when you guys were to call next; maybe even earlier if you could catch him when nobody was around.
After grabbing your lunch and heading down to the garden section where only a few people hung around during lunch, you situated yourself underneath the cherry blossom tree and started munching on your food. With your headphones in and your music playing, you were unable to hear the screams of terror that were slowly getting louder as they approached you.
As you leaned your head back against the tree trunk, the rhythmic beat of your favorite song playing through your ears and the rest of the world canceled out, you didnât notice the horde getting closer.
And So You Thought...
Word Count : 5.7k
TW : depictions of gore ; reader doubts ; zombie apocalypse ; kind of episode 1 & 2 spoilers, but also canon divergence by a lot ; Suhyeok being a really good boyfriend ;
Request : Anonny asked "Can you write a Su-hyeok x reader angst to comfort?"
âI was gonna go play basketball before lunch was over... or do you want me to wait for you to finish your lunch? I can stay with you until youâre done, and we can walk back to class together.â Suhyeok sat beside you at the lunch table, his chin resting against his knuckles as he watched you, the feeling of his eyes on your face had you burning up under his gaze, but you quickly shook your head, giving him a tight lipped smile as you swallowed down the the food that you had been chewing.Â
âIâll meet up with you in class, donât worry.â It was your usual response considering he asked every day, and you thought that at some point heâd expect what you were going to say and just stop asking, but maybe he expected you to one day just agree to let him sit beside you until you were finished so he could actually walk you to class.Â
A soft hum drifted through his lips as he finally stood up, pressing a swift kiss to the top of your head before ruffling your hair. âTry to focus on eating your lunch instead of reading, jagi. Itâll keep your food from getting cold.â He teased, causing you to whip your head around and stick your tongue out at him which had both him and Cheongsan laughing. âTry to at least finish by the time Onjo and Cheongsan finish so you can walk up with them, okay?â He was right back to being serious and you simply nodded your head in agreement before looking back down at the pages of your book as he walked away.Â
With your lunch barely finished, you pushed away from the lunch table, only closing your book long enough to empty your tray in the garbage. âYouâre not walking with us? Weâre almost done if you want to waitâŠâ Onjo called out to you as you walked by the table, but you simply shook your head, opening your book once more as you headed to the door.Â
The sound of screaming sounded from outside, and when you lifted your head you saw a swarm of students rushing towards the doors, the glass cracking as they slammed their fists against it to try to get in. âWhat the hellâŠ?â You whispered to yourself, frozen in your spot as the glass shattered and the students fell to the floor in front of you. It wasnât until you saw someone⊠or something that had once been a someone come running towards the lunch room, they seemed rabid, and you were stunned into silence when you saw one of these⊠things bite into someone, tearing their flesh from their neck, the chunk of skin dangling from the mouth of this once student.Â
âCome on! Move!â Cheongsan shouted as he grabbed the bag of your sweater, yanking you away from the doors and the hoard of students and used to be students. âGo! Go with Onjo!â He screamed, pushing you towards her as he pushed back the crazed students that had no emotions in their eyes, their teeth bared as they snapped at Cheongsan and anyone else that ran past them.Â
âWhat the hell is going on?!â You screamed over the commotion in the lunch room as you and Onjo tried to find anywhere to go, a way to escape the chaos and the horror that was unfolding in front of your eyes.Â
There was no response, and everything was moving so fast yet so slow as you both watched people that you used to chat with in the halls getting attacked by these vicious students, or pushed aside by other students that were just as scared trying to find a way out. âI⊠I donât know⊠Cheongsan!!â She called out his name, calling him over as she pointed to a window, seemingly the only means to an escape from the lunchroom.Â
âGo! Go go go!â He shouted back, rushing over to where you and Onjo stood, dodging everyone and everything that came towards him until he reached the both of you, pushing you both up through the window. âWe have to get up to the classroomâŠâ He panted out as he climbed through the window after you and Onjo. âLetâs go.âÂ
âSuhyeokâŠâ You whispered, your heart sinking as you thought of your boyfriend that had left before you, hoping that he had made it to the classroom already, that he was safe. âWhatâs happeningâŠ?âÂ
Cheongsan shook his head, pushing you forward as Onjo tugged against the sleeve of your sweater, pulling you forward. âWe can ask questions later, we need to get somewhere safe. Suhyeok is fine though⊠Iâm sure of it.â The way his assuring words were simply tacked onto the end, it wasnât as reassuring as you assumed they were supposed to be, but you didnât really have the time to ask anything else or prod more as the sound of snarling and screaming grew closer, proving that whatever was going on, it was happening everywhere on the campus.Â
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cheongsan and Onjo slammed their fists against the door to the classroom as the hoard of used to be students rushed towards them. Gyeongsu quickly opened the doors, allowing them to come in and catch their breath. âYou made it⊠Oh my god!â Suhyeok exclaimed when he saw the two bracing themselves against their knees, sweat dripping from their foreheads, but his smile quickly fell when he looked behind them and saw that you werenât there. âWhereâs Y/N?âÂ
His voice was flat, and his steps were quick, carrying him to the door to look out the windows, wishing to find you somewhere in the multitude of monsters, but also praying that you werenât there, for your safety and his own sanity. âShe was⊠she was right behind usâŠâ Onjo stammered out, standing up straight and spinning around as if youâd miraculously show up right behind her or beside her. âI knew she was there⊠Right Cheongsan?âÂ
Cheongsans head nodded quickly, his eyebrows furrowed as he silently questioned where you could have gone, or what could have happened while the three of you were running up to the classroom. âShe was, she really was. We had to run and⊠Maybe she got caught up somewhere⊠Maybe sheâs hiding somewhere. Sheâll be okayâŠâÂ
Suhyeok felt like his heart had fallen into the deepest pit of his stomach, his knees buckling as he leaned against the wall to hold himself up. âI need to go find her⊠She canât be alone⊠Sheâs⊠I need to find her.â And, as if like a zombie himself, he started walking towards the door, his thoughts focused only on you, finding you.Â
âHey! Hey, stop!â Gyeongsus voice was panicked as he tried to keep the door shut while Suhyeok tried to open it, the sound of the struggle drawing the attention of the zombified students towards the classroom. âSheâs fine! You need to just calm down. Weâll find her! Right now we need to think of what weâre gonna do while we wait to be rescued. Iâm sure someone called the police or something, and theyâll find her too⊠Just be patient.â
Patience⊠It was a crazy thing to be expected to have right now with everything that was going on. âHow can I be patient at a time like this? Y/N is somewhere in the school⊠Sheâs probably alone and scaredâŠâ His jaw was set, he looked like a man that was about to risk it all, but he knew that doing so would risk the lives of everyone else in the room. âWhy didnât you look after her? Why didnât you make sure she was with you?â His voice was low, filled with fear that he felt not knowing where exactly you were, laced with the anger he felt towards Cheongsan for not protecting you.Â
âWhat do you mean? How was I supposed to protect her, Onjo, and myself?â Cheongsan retorted, and it was obvious that he was on the defensive, especially considering the fact that it seemed like Suhyeok was blaming him for you not being there right now. âWhy werenât you there to keep her safe, to get her out of the cafeteria? Huh? What was so important that you had to leave early? Hmm? Is it because you had to meet up with Namra again?â The sudden accusatory question had Suhyeok jumping out of the chair that he had settled in, his ears burning a bright red but his nostrils flared with his anger.Â
âDonât.â He practically growled through gritted teeth, his finger pressed against Cheongsans chest. âIâm not with Namra, I canât believe youâd accuse me of that when my girlfriend is literally missing.âÂ
Cheongsan chuckled humorlessly, stepping back from the prodding fingertip of Suhyeok, his lips pursed as he looked between his friend and the girl in question, the class president standing in the back of the room near the windows, her hair creating a curtain to shield her face, or maybe to block out the scrutinizing looks of everyone else in the room. âI never accused you of that⊠Youâre the one who brought it up, not me.âÂ
Syhyeok huffed loudly, taking a step towards Cheongsan, only for Gyeongsu to step in between them, placing his hands against both of their chests. âStop it, both of you⊠Seriously. The last thing anyone needs is the stress of the two of you fighting. Just cut it out.â He said, already sounding exhausted. âCan we just try to figure out how to get in touch with someone⊠anyone? The police should have been here by now if someone called⊠Them or the fire department⊠Where are they?âÂ
âWe need to find a phone⊠Does anyone have a phone⊠Anything? Anyone?â Daesu asked, standing in the center of the room. âI mean, thereâs not much else that anyone can do, right?â Suhyeok nodded in agreement, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he turned away from Cheongsan. âSomeone in the class has to have kept their phoneâŠâÂ
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You had managed to make it to one of the empty rooms, barricading the door and shutting the curtains before finally allowing yourself to break down as you tried to process and comprehend what was really going on. You didnât fully understand it, and you probably never would, but based on the absolute chaos and the scenes of havoc that you passed by while you had been running with Cheongsan and Onjo⊠It looked like a scene straight out of a zombie apocalypse movie. The only question was⊠What had caused it? When did it even start? Everything had seemed perfectly fine while you were at lunch and even before you had gone to the cafeteria.Â
Now probably wasnât the time for you to be trying to rationalize what was happening, and it surely wasnât the time for you to be trying to figure out a timestamp for when it had happened. You needed to find a way to get to the others. Did they even notice that you were gone? Did they even care? Was Suhyeok somewhere safe? Had he met up with Cheongsan and Onjo? Did he care that you werenât there?Â
So many questions were running through your mind, and while they werenât the best questions to be asking yourself, the noise in your own head was blocking out the sounds of screams coming from outside and the stomach turning guttural noises that were coming from the zombie-like students out in the hallway. You werenât sure what was a better noise to be heard to be quite honest.Â
Maybe Suhyeok had met up with Namra again, just like he always did after lunch. He didnât think you knew, but you heard around the school the rumors that the two of them were seeing each other on the side. You never wanted to believe it, but you couldnât help but wonder if that was the reason why he hadnât come back to the cafeteria to try to help you⊠Maybe he was helping Namra instead.Â
A loud thud against the door to the broadcasting room had you jumping out of your mind, back into the situation of the present which wasnât at all better than the doubtful thoughts that plagued your brain. âShitâŠâ You muttered, cursing yourself for falling behind when you were with Cheongsan and Onjo. You had tripped once, and they were gone before you knew it, leaving you to either try to catch up with them and potentially get caught by one of the âzombiesâ, or run into the empty room in the hall and hope for someone to come find you.Â
The worst part was that you didnât even know where exactly you were right now, you didn't know what floor you were on. You had been running so fast, all you wanted to do was get to safety, and now you didnât even know the room number of your safe haven was. Your phone had been taken at the start of class along with everyone elseâs, so you didnât even have a way to get in touch with anyone else either. You felt stranded, and you were trapped, and you didnât know how long youâd be stuck in that room, but you hoped that someone would come rescue you.Â
Running had been exhausting, and you at some point had fallen asleep against the wall in the corner of the room, leaving you with the worst neck cramp when you finally awoke. The funniest part, if you could use that word to describe it, was the fact that the nightmare that had startled you from your slumber wasnât even about the zombies that hungered for your flesh that stood just a few feet away outside the wooden doors. No. Your nightmares were about Suhyeok and finding him with Namra, about him falling out of love with you, that is, if he even loved you anyway.Â
The sky outside had turned dark, the moon now hung high, surrounded by stars⊠If you could just stare at the night sky forever, you would surely be able to forget about the hell that you were currently living in. No one had come to find you yet⊠Were they waiting for you to come to them? They wouldnât expect you to go out on your own, right? No, if they really cared about you, theyâd come to you⊠Maybe they really had forgotten about you. It didnât matter though⊠Not them⊠They might have forgotten⊠But someone was bound to come soon. Someone had to come⊠Youâd be okay, and youâd get out of there, with or without them.Â
The front door to the broadcasting room opened slowly, and you could feel your heart stop and your stomach drop as you silently said your final goodbyes to everyone, the sentiments mixed in with curses at yourself for being foolish enough to not barricade the front door along with the back. âY/N?â The voice was no more than a whisper, but it was familiar, and in the current situation, it was almost angelic. Someone had come to save you, and while it wasnât who you expected, they were almost better. âOh, thank goodness youâre alright⊠Youâre okay, arenât you?âÂ
You lifted your tear budded eyes to look up, nodding your head slowly in agreement. âMs. ParkâŠâ You whispered the name, wondering if maybe the sight of her was nothing more than a vivid hallucination brought on by a mixture of exhaustion, dehydration, and hunger. âAre you okay? Do you know whatâs happening?âÂ
A saddened breath left her, one that sounded almost pained as she blocked off the front door of the classroom and moved closer to you. âIâm okay⊠I donât understand but⊠Have you seen the others? Is everyone else okay?â Her question had you dropping your gaze and shrugging your shoulders. You knew nothing. âItâs okay⊠Just⊠Iâm glad youâre okay.â She looked around the room for a moment before heading into the recording room, and before you could question what she was doing, a loud crackle came over the intercom system.Â
The way she spoke, the speech that she made⊠Had she thought of it on her way to the room? It sounded like a farewell, like she was saying goodbye to everyone. Did she know something that the rest of you didnât? How much had she seen on her way here? Was everyone able to hear her? The thought had you pushing yourself up off the floor and running into the recording room, asking her with your eyes if you could say something, and she quickly took a step back for you to take her place in front of the microphone.Â
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âUhm⊠Hi⊠Iâm still here⊠Iâm still aliveâŠâ Ms. Parks voice had seemed like a god send, to know that there was still someone in the school that could help, that could call the authorities, but hearing your voice⊠It was like hearing an angel, and thatâs exactly what Suhyeok thought as his feet carried him closer to the intercom speaker, his hand reaching up to the little box in the corner of the room. âSuhyeok⊠Cheongsan⊠Onjo⊠If you hear this⊠I hope youâre okay. Iâm okay⊠Stay safe⊠Iâll see you all soon I hopeâŠâÂ
And then the speaker went silent, and while Suhyeoks heart had soared at the sound of your voice just a mere second ago, now the lack of it had his heart breaking and fresh tears brimming along his lower lashes. âSheâs alive⊠Did you hear that? Sheâs aliveâŠâ He murmured, his hand still pressed against the speaker box, wishing that youâd just get back on and talk to him, even if you couldnât hear his responses, he needed to hear you, to know that you were okay still, he needed that constant reassurance. âIn the broadcasting room⊠Theyâre in the broadcasting room. We have to get there.âÂ
He was rushing towards the door, and once again, he had to be held back by the men in the room. âLetâs wait for morning to move. We wonât be able to see if anything comes at us in the dark. Sheâs been fine this whole time, and now sheâs with Ms. Park⊠Sheâll be fine for a couple more hours. Youâll see her again.â Cheongsans voice was strained as he helped to hold Suhyeok back, but he finally went limp, his entire body loose in Cheongsans arms. âWe need to get some rest if weâre going out there⊠Everyone just⊠Try to get some sleep. Weâll move to the broadcasting room in the morning.âÂ
It sounded so easy when it was said⊠Just getting to the broadcast room, it should have been as easy as going downstairs to the next class⊠But it proved almost impossible considering the hallways were swarmed with zombies and even the slightest sound drew their attention. It was like walking out into a war zone and there were enemies everywhere.Â
Some faces were familiar, bringing a pang of guilt to Suhyeoks chest whenever he had to fight one off. It was hard to fight any of them, knowing that just 24 hours ago these were the same people that had smiled and waved to him, these were the same people that he had conversed with in the hallways on multiple occasions, and now these same people were rushing after him with dead eyes, fueled only by their hunger. The only thing that was keeping him moving forward now was the thought of you waiting for him, and he knew he had to get to you, he had kept you waiting long enough.Â
âWe canât keep going, thereâs too many!â Wujin shouted as he and the rest of the guys tried to fight off the hoards. âThereâs a classroom right here! Come on! Weâll just wait it out!â He screamed to Suhyeok who was still trying to push forward to get down the next set of stairs. âCome on!â He screamed, shoving back the zombied students before sliding open the classroom door, letting the girls run in and then following behind them into the room.Â
âFuck!â Suhyeok shouted, kicking back one of the desks in frustration before going over to the window. âSheâs waiting for me⊠she called for me⊠She probably thinks something happenedâŠâ His fingers ran through his hair as he leaned his head against the window pane, breathing heavily from the physical exertion of just getting down one floor. âWhat if something happened to her while she was waiting for meâŠ?âÂ
Cheongsan shook his head, patting Suhyeok on the shoulder. âIâm sure sheâd rather wait a little longer to see you than to see you as a zombie. Weâll get down there, but we need to be smart about it. Okay?â Suhyeok swallowed thickly, hating the fact that Cheongsan was right, but not arguing against him because he was right. He knew that if the roles were reversed and he was the one waiting for you to come to him, heâd want you to be safe and smart with every move you made. âIâve got a plan⊠letâs just wait a little longer, and then Iâll see if it works.âÂ
Joonyeong reluctantly tapped both of them on the shoulders, his lips pulled into a thin line as they both turned to look at him. âWeâve got a problemâŠâ He whispered, turning his attention towards the windows that lined the wall looking out towards the hallway. âOne of the windows broke⊠well⊠two of the windows brokeâŠâ Both of the menâs eyes widened as they saw the hands of the zombies, their snarls louder than ever now. The plan couldnât wait⊠They had to move, and they had to move now.Â
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âNone of them have come yetâŠâ You mumbled, your knees folded against your chest in the corner of the room, the corner that had essentially become your own, the small space somehow making you feel safer. âSomething must have happened.âÂ
You knew that being pessimistic wasnât the right way to be at the moment, everyone needed to be as optimistic as possible, but sometimes a little bit of pessimism went a long way. When your mind was so filled with negativity, the slightest positive thing that happened seemed more amazing than ever. It was a shit way to look at things, but it was how you got through most days, and right now, you felt that that thought process was appropriate. âHey, donât think that way.â Ms. Park spoke softly in response, and even though her words told you to think differently, you could see it in her eyes, she was being just as pessimistic as you were. âIâm sure itâs hard for them to get down here⊠Letâs just⊠Hold onto hope.âÂ
That was the hard part though, holding onto hope, it felt like you had been holding onto it forever, your hands were growing tired, your nails were digging into your palms. Why hold on when you could just let go? âSure⊠Hold onto hope⊠Letâs do that.â You mumbled, letting your head drop forward to rest against your knees. There was no sense in being hopeful. The lack of first responders, the lack of literally anyone coming to get you, Ms. Park, and whoever else might be left out of the school⊠You had given up on having hope.Â
You were about to get up, head into the recording booth to have a couple minutes to yourself, the only place where you felt you could lose what was left of your sanity in peace, when a loud banging came against the window. It didnât make sense, it looked like the end of a firehose, and while your interest was peaked to see who had thrown it, Ms. Park had immediately stood in front of you as if she were blocking you or protecting you from something. âStay back⊠Okay?â She held her arm out in front of you as you nodded your head, taking a step back yourself just to be on the safe side, but then you saw a pair of shoes, and pants, and⊠maybe this was far fetched, but you were quite sure that a zombie student wouldnât be able to climb down a hose ladder so well, or at all.Â
And then, as if on queue, Gyeongsu appeared outside the window, his eyes wide when he saw you and Ms. Park standing there, and it took no more than a second for you both to rush to the window and throw it open, pulling him in to safety. âY-Youâre okay, right? Whatâs happening out there? Whatâs going on? Where is everyone?â You had so many questions, but he simply shook his head, leaning back out the window, much to your worry, and then shouting up to someone to come down. âThereâs others with you? Is it Onjo? Cheongsan? Who all is with you?âÂ
But one by one, your questions were answered as everyone climbed down, being helped in by you and Ms. Park until the last person arrived.Â
âY/NâŠâ Suhyeok whispered your name as if it were a prayer leaving his lips, his hands bloodied, reaching out to grab your face, turning your head this way and that before grabbing your hands and looking them over. âYouâre okay⊠Youâre really okay. I was so worried about you, and I wanted to look for you, I wanted to find you⊠Cheongsan wouldnât le-âÂ
He had talked enough, and the only thing you wanted in that moment was to be held by him, to know 100% that he was real, that he had really made it, that he was okay and you were okay and youâd both be together from here on out. âI didnât think youâd comeâŠâ You whispered, moving away from his chest to look around at everyone in the room, all of their eyes on you and Suhyeok at the moment, but there was one pair of eyes that had you stepping back and looking up at him, your eyebrows furrowing and your smile wavering. âYou didnât come back to the cafeteria⊠Why did you have to leave anyway⊠You always have to leaveâŠâ You took another step back, accidentally bumping into Wujin who grabbed onto your shoulders to steady you, but quickly dropped his hands when Suhyeok casted a glare in his direction.Â
âI thought Cheongsan would have been able to get you up to the classroom, I thought youâd be okay. I didnât⊠I wanted to go back and find you, but I thought youâd be safe with him. Iâm sorry I wasnât there for you⊠I should have been.â You hated the fact that everyone was staring at you, and even though you couldnât see them doing it, you could feel the heat of their eyes on your back and it was making you uncomfortable. âI was gonna go play some basketball after lunch⊠Thatâs why I left early⊠The weather was nice and, I just thought Iâd do that before classâŠâÂ
You nodded your head, keeping your eyes down as you reluctantly began your walk back towards him, a pang of guilt in your chest for the assumptions that had filled your mind. âBut you saved Namra⊠The two of you climbed in through the window together right before Cheongsan and Onjo got into the class.You were holding hands and everything.â Daesu exclaimed, and everyone in the room let out a collective groan of annoyance at his sudden urge to announce it. âSorryâŠâ He muttered, realizing just a second too late that he shouldnât have said anything at all, but the damage was done and you froze in place in the middle of the room.Â
âYou⊠saved her?â You whispered, letting the words roll off your tongue as if you were testing them, tasting them, and you hated the bitter aftertaste they left in your mouth. âY/N⊠jagi⊠listenâŠâ He tried to speak but you shook your head faster, your eyes squeezed shut as you held your hands up, not wanting him to get close to you. âNo⊠No, I get it⊠Sheâs worth saving. Heaven forbid something happens to the class president⊠You couldnât possibly let that happen, right? Make sure sheâs safe, wouldnât want her to be alone⊠Just leave your girlfriend to fend for herself, by herself⊠No, thatâs fine.âÂ
It felt like the room had shrunken to twice the size it once was, you were surrounded by a group of people who clearly didnât give a single shit about what happened to you, and you didnât want to be around them. âWhere are you going? Y/N, wait!â Suhyeok called after you when he saw you walking off, but you silently flipped him off before slamming the door to the recording booth and sitting at the desk, thankful for the silence of the room.Â
âShould⊠Should someone talk to her? I can go?â Wujin raised his hand, looking around at everyone for some sort of acceptance to his offer, but he was only met with the scrutinizing gaze of Suhyeok. âWhat? I mean, she clearly doesnât want to talk to you⊠Me and her, weâre kind of close, and⊠Maybe sheâll talk to me. Iâm sure you all would rather her be on talking terms with someone just in case we have to move again⊠At least sheâd go with usâŠâÂ
Suhyeok scoffed, stepping closer to Wujin until the toes of their shoes touched, glaring down at the boy. âIf she wonât talk to me, sheâs not talking to anyone. I donât want you around her⊠Donât think that I donât see the way you look at her⊠And Iâm sure youâre hoping that because of what your stupid friend said that youâll be able to have some sort of chance⊠But whatever she might be thinking, and whatever youâre thinking⊠Itâs not true⊠Donât get your hopes up. I love her, and only her⊠Iâm not letting her go.â And with that, he moved him to the side, going straight for the recording booth and walking inside. âJagiâŠâÂ
âI donât want to talk right nowâŠâ You mumbled, curled up in the little desk chair, making yourself smaller so that no one could see you over the back of the chair through the booths window. âI came in here because I wanted to be alone⊠Youâre ruining that for me.âÂ
Your words didnât stop him from coming closer though, his arms practically caging you in on the chair when he placed his hands on the arm rests. âDo you really think that I left you in the cafeteria on purpose⊠That I knew this would happen once I was gone?â Of course you didnât think that, no one could have known that something like this was going to happen, it was completely out of everyoneâs control. âI was terrified⊠I didnât know what was going on, and I wanted to get back to the cafeteria so I could save you. I couldnât make it though⊠I would have died.â You winced at the thought of anything happening to him, the tension in your body slowly fading the more you listened to him talk. âI saved Namra⊠I did⊠But thatâs just because I came across her on my way to the classroom. Itâs not like I was looking for her⊠I was trying to get to safety⊠And I was hoping, praying⊠That Cheongsan had you, that heâd bring you back to the classroom, or that he at least had you somewhere safe with him and Onjo.â He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, shakily as he moved his hands from the arm rests to grab your own, lacing his fingers between yours. âWhen Cheongsan came back without you⊠I had never felt more scared than I did at that moment⊠I felt like shit, and I wanted to come find you, but they stopped me. Iâm sorry I couldnât come sooner. Iâm sorry I let you down⊠But I love you, and I donât want to leave this room, or any other room unless you're with me, unless Iâm holding your hand⊠So please, come back out?âÂ
His thumb brushed lightly across the back of your hand, and you finally took the time to notice the dried blood that stained his perfect skin, the crimson blotches that covered his once crisp white button up. He had been through a lot to get here, not just him, but everyone else. You had been lucky enough to be in the safety of the broadcasting room, and you had been fortunate enough to have been found by Ms. Park. They had gone through hell just to get to this room, but they had made it, and you couldnât forget the look in Suhyeoks eyes when he had first seen you when had climbed through the window. If he didnât love you, his eyes wouldnât have become glassy, his bottom lip wouldnât have trembled when he took those final steps to close the distance between the two of you, a distance that had felt miles long instead of a couple floors away. He loved you, and you could feel it when he had wrapped his arms around you, when he had cupped your cheeks, and you could feel it now as he held your hands. âI love you⊠Iâm sorryâŠâ You whimpered, feeling the fresh stream of tears begin to trickle down your cheeks, the overwhelming emotions from everything that was going on were finally being processed, and all you could do was cry, but he was there, and he made quick work to wipe away each tear with steady fingers and gentle swipes of his thumb. âIf we get out of here⊠We should go on a really nice date⊠Maybe a picnic if the weather is niceâŠâ You whispered, placing your hands over his as they grazed along your cheek.Â
A soft chuckle left him, vibrating his chest, and the sound was so strange, yet so welcomed at such a time that you didnât want it to stop, you wanted to hear it for hours, it was so⊠soothing. âWhen we get out of here⊠Iâm going to take you on the best date⊠Iâll go anywhere with you, just say the time and the place⊠As long as youâre there, Iâll be there too.â He leaned in, pressing a kiss to your lips, one that seemed to last longer than usual, but not as long as you had wanted it to. âLetâs get back out there⊠Weâll figure out what weâre doing, and then weâll start planning those dates.âÂ
Apparently in China peach wood (Along with the rest of the plant) is believed to have properties that repel evil spirits, a little similar to silver in European legends or iron for both European fae and West Asian/Middle eastern Jinn. Taoists sometimes keep swords made of peach wood because of this. This made me realize something. If you took a peach wood stick, and attached studs to it of both silver and iron you'd end up with a club or staff (or mace, flail etc.) that would have the weaknesses of many kinds of supernatural creatures while still retaining effectiveness as a normal weapon (peach is a hardwood and silver's poor edge retention doesn't matter for studs). You could even keep adding new stud materials to get something ridiculous that affects over 120 catalogued folkloric monsters. Since you just need a few little studs you could even get some really expensive materials like meteoric iron (a thumb tip sized meteorite can still cost like 10-20 bucks I think). I could somewhat feasibly make a weapon that affects every monster ever thought to walk the earth, from vampires and werewolves to jinn and jiangshi and even mankind.