The world ended quietly — and then it started screaming.
GENRE: Zombie AU / Thriller / Survival / Angst
PAIRING: cortis (Rookie boy group, 5 members) x gn!Reader (group survival dynamics, romantic focus)
Optional Future Pairing Hints: The tall mysterious guy from Cortis 👀
CONTAINS: Mild peril, zombie encounters, tense survival moments, minor injuries, group dynamics, gore(slightly?), panic, (SFW)
✨ Synopsis:
One month in Seoul. life takes a turn when she joins an exchange program in Korea. New friends, unfamiliar streets, and the unexpected glimmer of magic in the everyday… but some things aren’t what they seem. Between school, food stalls, and a mysterious rookie idol group, ordinary days are about to collide with chaos she never saw coming.
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📝 Author’s Note:
Heyy! this is a mix of slice-of-life, school drama, and a little bit of K-pop (looking at you, Cortis 👀). I promise there’s adventure, friendship, and maybe a few heart-fluttering moments ahead. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I loved writing it!
WORD COUNT: ~[0.5k]
Chapter 7 — Marshmallow Lips and Designer Drama
It was like 3 a.m. or something. The kind of hour where the world feels dead quiet, and all you hear is the sound of someone breathing next to you.
Except the “someone” in question… was Keonho.
The night was too quiet.
Like… post-apocalypse quiet.
The kind that made even breathing sound suspicious. Everyone had passed out on the rug, scattered like fallen dominoes. The faint orange light from the fireplace flickered across the walls, and the radio hummed quietly in the corner.
It was around 3 a.m. when I woke up.
Too hot. Way too hot.
My face was buried in something soft and… warm? I blinked, confused—only to realize my cheek was literally pressed against someone’s chest.
Oh no.
My eyes darted up.
Keonho.
Asleep. Peaceful.Bro was out cold. One arm around me like a freaking koala.
I tried to wiggle free — quietly, like a spy mission — but man tightened his grip. I froze. “Keonho,” I whispered, “bro let me go, I can’t breathe.”
No response. Just a sleepy murmur and—
“Marsh… mellows…” he muttered.
“…What?”
No response. Just a sleepy murmur and—
He leaned forward.
And kissed me.
Or well, I thought it was a kiss till pain shot through my lip.
“OW— dude what the hell?!” I hissed, smacking his shoulder.
He mumbled something like, “Marshmallows… taste… good…”
BRO. BE. SERIOUS.
I shoved him and he blinked awake, hair messy, eyes half-open. It took him two full seconds to realize where his face was. Then—
He exploded.
Like, went full beet red, sat up too fast, started rambling “OHMYGOD I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN TO— I WAS— I WAS DREAMING— MARSHMALLOWS??”
And that’s when James stirred from across the rug, squinting at us like a disappointed dad. “...What are you two doing?”
“NOTHING!” we both yelled in sync, way too fast.
Silence.
James just sighed, turned over, and muttered, “Whatever. Just don’t make out while I’m sleeping next time.”
“WE WEREN’T—”
“Go to sleep.”
Yeah. We both just died inside and went back to pretending to sleep.
Morning came with sunlight creeping through the broken curtains. Everyone was awake, stretching and groaning, acting like last night’s chaos never happened.
Except me and Keonho couldn’t look at each other for more than three seconds. He’d turn red, I’d look away, and everyone else probably thought we had beef or something.
Martin was the first to break the silence. “I saw something outside,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Looks like a caravan. Big one. Might still work.”
That got everyone up real quick.
We grabbed our bags, packed what little food we had, and headed out. Just when I thought we were leaving peacefully—
She came out.
Ava.
That girl from last night strutted out like she was walking a fashion runway, wearing heels and a freaking white coat. In the apocalypse. With a suitcase.
“Good morning,” she sang. “I’ll be joining you.”
James blinked. “You what?”
“I said I’m coming. You can’t leave me here.”
“Watch us,” Juhoon muttered.
I, being the “kind soul” (or the idiot, idk), said, “We shouldn’t fight each other. More survivors means more help, right?”
Everyone groaned but agreed. I regretted it immediately.
Ava looked me up and down, eyes pausing on my hoodie and track pants. “You really going out dressed like that?” she asked sweetly. “You could at least try to look human.”
Bro I bit my tongue so hard I might’ve drawn blood. Girl, we’re literally fighting zombies, not auditioning for Vogue.
Anyway.
We reached the caravan parked a few blocks down. The thing looked old, dented, but surprisingly intact. Juhoon checked inside first.
“Guys… the keys are still here.”
“NO WAY.”
James climbed in, twisted the ignition— and it started.
For a second, all of us just stared at each other like we’d witnessed a miracle. Then everyone started yelling and laughing.
We all jumped in like kids claiming seats in a school bus.
The inside was cozy — a little bathroom, a kitchen counter, a bed in the back, and four middle seats. Two front seats for the driver and passenger.
Martin and James took the front.
I sat in the middle row next to Juhoon.
And poor Keonho got stuck beside Ava, who immediately flipped her hair and said, “Don’t worry, oppa, I don’t bite~”
Keonho gave me a please kill me now look in the mirror.
Finally finished my little personal project
Recreating the "Defend" and "Destroy" posters of the X-men Apocalypse movie (enjoyed it personally) with my version of the X-men
Dude what if you were in an apocalypse and you were looking for clean clothes but the only thing you could find was a really shitty meme shirt and a pink onesie and you had to wear that shit like can you imagine
