I Choose Illusion || Jungsuk + Sunny
It was always a treat when someone brought pre-apocalypse alcohol back to Kangwon. Every now and then, Jungsuk had gotten ahold of home-brewed drinks cobbled together from desperation and half-remembered family recipes, and it just wasn’t the same as a bottle of Chamisul.
Namgi had found several cases of it, which had made him pretty much into an instant hero for a good portion of the camp. He had turned most of it over to the camp leaders, to be distributed in whatever mysterious way they decided was best for the group, but he had been allowed to keep three bottles. It was just enough to have what passed for a party nowadays with a small group of friends.
By the time Jungsuk arrived at Namgi’s house, everyone else was already there. Namgi had pushed most of his furniture to the edges of the living room, and everyone was gathered around his low table. Hangah smiled when he came in, and Jungsuk headed straight for her to take the empty space by her side. He smiled in greeting to Sunny, who was on Hangah’s other side.
“What did you bring?” Namgi asked.
Jungsuk held up his small bag. “I had a few apples. That good enough for you?”
“It’ll do.”
When Namgi took the food, Jungsuk put his arm around Hangah. She leaned her head on his shoulder and took his now free hand in one of hers, lacing their fingers together. The table in front of them was littered with mismatched cups and whatever spare food people could contribute. It was an intimate, familiar group of eight people—the same people who had welcomed Namgi home once he was released from the hospital a little over three months ago.
The mood was much better now than it had been then. Sunny looked a lot more at ease. Jungsuk hoped it meant she had let go of her guilt over her last botched mission, the one that had gotten Namgi hurt and all the rest of her people killed. She seemed to have settled into and was enjoying the other work she had now, and Jungsuk was grateful for that.
Namgi opened the first bottle of soju and started pouring drinks. The food got passed around, and it didn’t take long before everyone was chatting, eating, and drinking. It was a quiet, but happy evening—most parties, nowadays, had to be quiet, because the fear of attracting a walker’s attention was practically an instinct by now. But it didn’t keep them from enjoying themselves and each other’s company.
After his second drink, Jungsuk turned to kiss the top of Hangah’s head. “What did you bring tonight?” he asked during a lull in the conversation.
She straightened up, and the grin on his face took him by surprise. “I’m glad you asked,” she said, and then she pulled away from him and got to her feet. “Just a second.”
When she left the living room, Jungsuk glanced over at Namgi in confusion. Namgi grinned. “Just wait,” he said, looking smug.
