it's in the wee hours of the morning. you lightly reached to the other side of the bed—a natural instinct—but as you slowly opened your eyes, you quickly realized the cold and empty side.

ah, silly me. you lightly chuckled, although your face is laced with worry and despondency.

it all started when the monsterization outbreak erupted. the situation just demanded him more. after all, it is his duty, his responsibility, and his priority.

you started your day like any other day. with the flashlight lit, you arranged the bed, fluffed the pillows, and laid down the blanket. a sleeping figure of him suddenly flashed on your mind. a glimpse of a sad smile appeared on your face.

with that thought shrugged off of your mind, you walked out of your supposed shared room with your husband and strolled around the areas of other survivors.

you moved silently between the rows of resting figures huddled on their makeshift beds and shelters. you continuously scanned the faces of those who slept and noticed collective shivering and occasional coughing, sniffling, and sneezing among them. it must be the cold and flu season again.

the stadium is cramped and damp. the air is heavy with vulnerability and frailty—a perfect breeding ground for uncertainty and infirmity. no wonder.

ever since the survivors have sought refuge in the stadium, roles have emerged. as someone equipped with undying curiosity about the world, you somehow have good knowledge of health that has supported the survival of everyone.

you checked the plastic container that has the remaining medications. worry etched lines on your face as you mulled over the scarcity of medicine, because the once easily accessible remedies are now elusive luxuries. you contemplated over a long time until your mind wandered to your husband, clad in his worn uniform. a part of you wanted to tell him, but you didn't want to bother him—to risk him and the platoon encountering more monstrous beings.

after some time, your mind reminisced about the time you spent with your grandmother. suddenly, nature, now in all its untamed glory, offered an alternative.

thankfully, you remembered the way to the unknown passage that eun-yu has used and passed through. 

as you reached the broken opening, the night air enveloped you as you moved through the wilderness, guided by the faint glow of moonlight that filtered through the thick canopy. the rustling of leaves and the distant chirps of birds are a symphony of nature that heightened your senses and accompanied your endeavors.

as you walked through, you noticed how sharp the blades of grass had grown and how the clumps of flowers had bloomed. of course, with humans out of the way, nature is going back to the way it was.

your nimble fingers gently traced the leaves and petals to identify the herbs that you needed. cinnamon twigs, white peony roots, fresh gingers, red dates, and licorice roots—each plant needed to make gui zhi tang, a tea as a remedy for the cold and flu that started to plague the stadium.

as you gathered the herbs, you still could not shake the weight of secrecy and the risks to the safety of the camp. yes, unknown monsters lurked in the shadows, yet the silent plea for relief from the sick compelled you forward.

you concealed all the herbs beneath your cardigan—cradled in your arms—as you decided to get back to the stadium.

"five minutes until roll call. please pause your current engagements and return to your positions," a masculine voice announced through the speakers.

the people started to move—faster and busier.

"five minutes until roll call. please prepare for the roll call in your living area."

"please check for any missing persons and wait in your positions." the soldiers started to check everyone, lined up and paused in their own positions.

"additionally, survivors will not participate in this expedition. survivor's expeditions are forbidden for the time being. this decision was made to ensure your safety. please trust the platoon's decision and cooperate with us."

"please check for any missing persons. over."

after the soldiers had checked everyone, they moved back to their quarters. with everyone from the platoon present, they reported—which is abruptly stopped, as if they are plagued with hesitation.

yeong-hu lifted his head up and asked, "what?"

a ripple of unease coursed through your husband's mind as his comrades exchanged glances with worried expressions etched upon their faces.

chan-young, the only one who braved to answer him, cleared his throat. "you see, sergeant... your wife was not present during the roll call," he carefully said with eyes full of concern and sympathetic pity.

those words reverberated through the hollow chambers of his heart. the familiar knot in his stomach tightened, and an icy grip clutched at his chest. the echoes of your absence resonated louder than the muted sounds of the desolate surroundings.

he's worried, confused, and frightened.

why wasn't she at the roll call?

was it her deliberate choice or a circumstance beyond her control?

as if to stop the stream of more destructive and disastrous questions in his head, a door creaked open with you in view.

you did not notice the entire platoon and continued to walk past them. as you turned on a corner, someone grabbed your arm, which you turned your head to.

as you turned around, you were shocked at how dangerously close yeong-hu's face was to yours. his eyebrows knitted together and his lips pursed. his eyes—bewitching, which you have always loved but now are daunting. your knees started to tremble; you couldn't quite tell if it's because of rapture that you finally saw him this close again or if it's because of fear with that look he is giving. perhaps both.

"aww," you whimpered as you moved his hand away. his eyes softened, and his gaze looked down at the herbs on your hands.

he averted his gaze and sighed with his hands on his hips. you looked at him with his puzzled expression, as if trying to find the right words among the thousands of thoughts that are currently running through his head.

the air started to grow thick with tension.

"where have you been?" he whispered. although it seemed he already knew where you had been, he continued to ask.

"it seemed like the cold and flu season has started again, and so i checked the medications left... love, it wouldn't be enough for everyone," you replied in a worried tone.

a long pause ensued before you continued.

you reached and enveloped his hands with yours. "i didn't want to bother you," you said, looking down as you felt the tension pierce through your bones.

"but, you can't just decide these things on your own!" yeong-hu's replied with his raised voice. his other hand clutched his cap, as if trying to grasp the ends of his wits.

as higher his voice has raised as further frustration bubbled in your throat. with furrowed brows, you replied, "i don't need you treating me like a child!"

yeong-hu squared his jaw. "this isn't about treating you like a child! it's about keeping you safe," he retaliated.

"i thought i could do something good without burdening you," your voice trembled, swallowing down the lump in your throat.

"you think keeping me in the dark is helping?" a sharp edge to his words, he scoffed.

your head snapped up. "well, if only you were not leaving me grasping in this fucking oblivion alone!" you bursted.

your eyes watered. "if only you were not forsaking me into salvaging this capsizing marriage alone," you tiredly whispered. your head tilted to the side, trying to stop the tears stinging the corners of your eyes.

you shocked yourself with what you have just said, but the emotions and thoughts you have contained for too long just continuously cascaded. as if denying the ocean's fluid grace would only submerge you in the depths of its relentless tide.

with a deep sigh, you turned your back on him and walked back to your shared bedroom with yeong-hu left frozen in place—dumbfounded.

as a thick silence descended, the words floated in the air like a heavy fog.

author's note: hi, it's my very first time to write here on tumblr! i hope you like it, though. reblogs, likes, and comments are very much appreciated! see ya! <3

Admiration (what he adores about you)

He loves that you are someone who is driven and has found purpose in helping others at the stadium. You’re delicate, kind, and understanding, all things that are so refreshing to him as someone who has been in the military for a while. Yeong-hu just adores you in general. You make him feel like a better man.

Body (his favorite part of your body)

He kind of likes to manhandle you, lovingly and gently of course. But that means that your hips/waist are usually his favorite target cause it’s where he pulls you in for kisses and hugs. It’s comforting to have his hands on you, so he likes to leave them there while he listens to you talk.  

Cuddles (how he cuddles / likes to show affection)

In private, you can’t convince me he’s not a huge cuddle bug. He looks mean and acts tough, but truly he loves (more like demands) affection. Yeong-hu likes to have you in his lap while hugging you from behind. He rests his head on your shoulder and leaves kisses there. 

Dates (what his ideal date with you looks like)

Yeong-hu is perfectly content with your dates taking place when he returns to the stadium after a long day. He likes to eat with you in a quiet, private room. He wants to hear about your day. Ideally, you’d be so kind as to give him a short massage before falling asleep together. 

Excitement (what excites him / how he acts when excited)

He gets excited when he learns new things about you that he didn’t know before, especially if you bond over having a shared interest in something. When he hears you like the same kinds of movies, shows, or music as him, he praises you for having good taste and tells you it’s a sign that he was meant to find you. 

Fear (what he is afraid of when it comes to your relationship)

Yeong-hu fears that one day, you won’t be as understanding when it comes to his duties as a sergeant. He worries you’ll tire of his apologies each day for not getting to see you very long. He also knows that you worry about him and his safety, and fears it could impact your mental wellbeing.

Gifts (how he feels about gift giving / receiving)

He secretly likes receiving gifts more than giving them. Don’t get me wrong, it makes him feel so good to bring back little treats for you. But when you have something to offer him; something you usually create yourself and put time, effort, and love into, he cherishes it more than anything. 

Hand Holding (how and when he likes to hold hands / how much pda he’s willing to show)

As a sergeant and a man who a lot of people look to at the stadium, Yeong-hu gets embarrassed with PDA. He thinks people won't take him seriously if they see the soft side of him. But if there’s no one around, he takes your hand into his and holds it for as long as he can. 

IInjury / Illness (how he acts if you’re hurt or sick)

“My baby doesn’t feel well? How can that be? Let’s find the field medic. I don’t want that freak doctor near you.” He gets super concerned and soft. He’ll also do everything in his power to stay with you and help you recover. He makes sure you rest and eat, even if it’s his own rations.

Jealousy (how he handles it if / when he gets jealous)

He totally plays it off like he doesn’t care at first. But when it’s too difficult to ignore, he gets a little more possessive and is more willing to show PDA to make a point. “I thought you don’t like kissing in front of people,” you chuckle. He’d sigh, “Trust me. It was necessary.”

Kisses (how he likes to kiss you)

It’s routine that he kisses you on the forehead before he leaves in the morning and on the cheek when he comes back to you later in the day. Yeong-hu is big on kisses in general and litters them everywhere he has access to. Kisses to your lips are less frequent, but more passionate. 

Love Language (how he shows he loves you)

Words of affirmation and physical touch, probably both at the same time since his hands are always on you. He could be doing something simple like stroking your hair while you fall asleep, all the while muttering things like, “Life is hard, but loving you is easy. I’m never going to let you go.”

Memory (his favorite memory with you)

Yeong-hu once brought you up to the ‘rooftop’ in the early morning so you could paint the sunrise. Painting helped pass the time, and it helped you commit nature to memory, since you seldom saw it anymore. Sitting quietly with you and watching you work was endearing to him. 

Needs (how needy he is / how he meets your needs)

He definitely needs to get his fill of you each day in order to recharge and feel a bit more human again. But mostly, he likes to take care of you more. He makes sure that you feel okay physically and mentally, and also listens to what you have to say about the welfare of survivors at the stadium. 

Oddity (a quirk he has that you noticed)

This is not to be labeled as a ‘quirk’ or be considered ‘odd’, but something different about him is that he silently struggles a little with PTSD. He’s never told you about it upfront. But you’ve noticed how he can get a little jumpy when he’s caught off guard, and it explains his heightened emotions sometimes. 

Protection (how protective he is over you)

He is a protector through and through. It’s what he does. But for you especially, he would risk it all for your safety. He will always put himself between you and danger, whether it be a monster, or a human that is one in the making. Yeong-hu feels it’s his duty to safeguard your mind, body, and soul.

Quality Time (how he likes to spend time with you)

He doesn’t have a lot of free time, but does spend nearly all of it with you. He likes to grant you short visits outside if he can. Indoors, he lets you hang out in the military quarters and practice hitting baseballs. There’s not much to do in the way of fun, but any time spent with you is good enough for him.

Romance (how romantic he is)

He’s not well versed with being romantic cause he never needed to be till he met you. His whole life has revolved around being in the military, so ‘romance’ is something he’s figuring out as he goes. You don’t pressure him though, since love and affection already come naturally to him. 

Secrets (how open he is with you)

Yeong-hu is a very straightforward, open man. He doesn’t believe in sugar coating things and doesn’t tolerate bs. With that said, he tells you anything and everything you want to know. He also vents to you often about his frustrations and feelings because he trusts you more than anyone.

Time (how you met / how long it took you to get together)

He found you hiding in a warehouse the platoon was scoping out for supplies. You were beyond scared, but Yeong-hu promised you would be okay and that he would take you somewhere safe. He checked on you everyday in your first few weeks at the stadium, and your relationship blossomed from there. 

Upset (how he acts when you’re upset)

If you’re upset with him, his first instinct is to create distance cause he just doesn’t know how to handle it without getting upset too. Yeong-hu can be stubborn and has a hard time owning up to mistakes. But if you’re just generally upset, especially enough to cry, he will hold your hands and talk you through it till you feel better. 

Vaunt (things about you he is proud of / how he shows you off)

He likes to talk about you with the few closer friends he has among the platoon. He tells them about how smart and creative you are, or something cute you did that made him laugh. His friends listen intently, mostly just shocked that the hardass Yeong-hu is so whipped for you.

Warrior (how he feels about you fighting)

You could be an ex-military member yourself, and he still wouldn’t let you fight or get involved with monsters. He’s really serious about it too and freaks out if you even think about leaving the safety of the stadium. “No one can protect you like I can, because no one is willing to die for you like I am.”

X-tra (a random headcanon for him)

He is always present for roll call in your wing of the building because he knows how overbearing some of the soldiers can be, and he doesn’t want them hurting you just for ‘extra proof’ that you’re not a monster. If you have a hard time cutting your arm, Yeong-hu offers to do it for you as gently as he can.

Yearn (what he does when he misses you)

His subordinates can usually tell that something is up with Yeong-hu when he starts to miss you because he gets pretty quiet and spaces out. He worries about you, wondering if your rations are enough to sustain you, and if you’re feeling worse than you’re letting on. 

Zzz (what it’s like to sleep with him)

Whether it’s on his cot or on your tiny makeshift bed, there’s only enough room for you to pretty much sleep on top of him lol. But he likes it that way. Your head rests either on his chest or shoulder, and he always has an arm wrapped around you. He falls asleep hard and fast since he’s usually pretty worn out. 

Are you seeing anyone, Sarge?

It was a question he used to evade whenever his subordinates started meddling in his love life. He’d often respond with something like, “I feel no need for it,” or would simply turn the question back onto his friends. 

But it wasn’t until you showed up at the stadium that everything changed. Suddenly, he needed to keep an eye on you, watch out for you, learn about you, and get close to you. 

He never could have imagined slinking away every chance he got just to be with you. Yet here he was, knocking softly on your door after returning from a long day of searching for ordnance and supplies. 

“Come in,” he heard your quiet voice from the other side, smiling gently once he opened it to find you at your desk, journaling as usual. You knew by the shuffle of his boots that Yeong-hu had come to see you, abandoning your work right away as you beamed, “You’re back! How was the mission?”

“It went well. We should have enough provisions to get us through the rest of the month.”

“That’s such a relief,” you grinned. “Things were looking kind of grim for a minute there.”

He hummed, nodding in agreement before saying, “Hold out your hand.” You gave him a curious look, but obeyed as he fished something out of his pocket. 

The crinkle of plastic reverberated off of the concrete in the small room. He placed the object in your hand, a secretive finger held to his lips before revealing it to you.

“This stays between me and you, yeah?”

“Yes,” you nodded excitedly, intently watching as he moved his hand. In your palm sat a perfectly intact Choco Pie. “Where did you find this?” you whispered.

“We searched an office for batteries, this was in the break room. It was the only one.”

“Share it with me,” you insisted, carefully tearing into the wrapper and splitting the dessert in two.

“I brought that for you, Y/n. It’s all yours.”

“And I’m giving half to you.”

He knew you well enough to know that you would refuse to eat any of it unless he had some too. So he reluctantly took the piece, biting into it as you looked at him, expectantly. It tasted better than he remembered. Though slightly stale, it was still sweet; even sweeter when he watched you indulge in it too.

“It’s good. Really good. I ate these all the time when I was a kid.”

“I’ll find more for you.”

“Thank you,” you said sincerely, wrapping your arms around his torso. Heat radiated from him, and you shivered in his embrace. “Oh, you’re so warm. How are you always so warm?”

“High metabolism.”

“I should have let you have all of the pie, then.”

“Why is that?”

“In exchange for being my personal heater.” Your cold hands fumbled beneath his jacket, untucking his shirt from his pants and finding their way to the bare skin of his back. “Gotta keep you fueled up.” 

He chuckled, guiding you a few steps over to your makeshift bed and carefully laying down with you.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” you asked as he pulled a blanket over your form and brushed hair out of your face.

“I can’t tonight, but I’ll stay until you’ve warmed up and come see you again in the morning before I head out.”

“Okay.” There was disappointment laced in your voice, but Yeong-hu was quick to remedy that with a couple of kisses.

“Tell me what you wrote about today.”

“Sweetheart, I told you. We’re looking.” Yeong-hu sighed, tucking strands of hair behind your ear as he studied your weary expression. For days, he and a few others in the Platoon had been searching for a survivor who went missing in the middle of the night. She was a quiet little thing who hardly garnered anyone’s attention, but held yours from the moment you met. Even a worldwide catastrophe could not shake the decade-long friendship you upheld.

Back then, Chaewon was just a girl sitting next to you in your first ever college class. She eventually became the one who studied with you, ate midnight meals with you, and graduated while standing by your side. She was your biggest supporter when you landed your first job and your comforter as you cried over a man who left for his military service. When you married that same man years later, without fail, she was there. 

She was always there for you. Yet here you were, going around in circles when she no doubt needed you the most.

“It’s almost been a week, Yeong-hu. How is it that nobody can find her?”

“Maybe… she doesn’t want to be found,” he said tentatively, trying to reason with you without upsetting you more. Afterall, he had seen this kind of thing before when it came to his own men. “Think about it. With all the nightwatchers, no one came or went. She had to have gone in secret; probably through one of the openings that you and Eun-yu have no business knowing about.”

“Chae wouldn’t just leave, and you know it.” You brushed past him, slumping down onto his cot. “Regardless if she knew about an exit, she wouldn’t dare leave the stadium. God, she must be so scared.”

With his arms crossed and brows knit together, he questioned, “What would you have me do? We can’t just assign all of the men we have to a task like this. Sergeant Tak barely gave me the clearance to lead a small rescue group in the mornings, and only because you’re my wife. You have to understand that this is a special exception that is being made, and we’re doing the best we can.”

You were aware that even when members of the Platoon had gone missing in the past, the efforts put forth to find them weren’t prioritized most of the time. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the ones in charge paid little attention to Chaewon’s disappearance. But still, there had to be something more that could be done.

“If you took me with you, maybe I could-”

“No.”

“I might be able to-”

“No,” Yeong-hu emphasized, his stern voice raising slightly to let you know that he was serious. “You’re not going out there, and that’s the end of it.”

Anything you tried to say after that point would have been futile, so you sat in silence, allowing him to lay you down and wrap you up in his protective embrace for the night. Little did he know… as he snored subtly, you were wide awake devising a plan that you hoped would save the only other person that you considered family.

-

The following day, Yeong-hu still had no luck with Chaewon. As a result, he shamefully avoided seeking you out a little longer than usual. He just couldn’t bring himself to return with news that would hurt you, once again. 

Feeling like a failure, he spent hours shut away in one of the makeshift offices to analyze maps of the surrounding area. Admittedly, he and his team had not covered as much ground as he would have liked. But there were only so many risks they could take on a bare bones operation like this one.

And no matter how much he tried to keep them at bay, intrusive thoughts would plague Yeong-hu’s brain telling him that your friend’s chances of survival were low to begin with. He feared that even if they found Chaewon, they might only find a body at this point. Or worse, she could have turned into an unrecognizable monster that he may or may not have already killed. 

How on earth would he ever be able to console you if that were the case?

“Sarge, are you in here?”

Breaking Yeong-hu from his line of thinking, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from outside of the room. Fatigued and defeatedly dropping the pen that had been in his grip, he acknowledged his friend.

Seok-chan first peeked into the space, then fully entered with a polite nod once he confirmed his suspicions of Yeong-hu spending extra time on this mission. “I’m sorry to bother you. But I was sent to ask if you know where Mrs. Kim is. It’s almost time for the last meal, and apparently she agreed to help distribute rations. Though, it seems the last time someone spoke to her was around 10am.”

Yeong-hu abruptly stood up, his tone eerily quiet as he rebuked, “You waited all day to tell me that no one has seen my wife since this morning?”

“I… I’m sorry, Sir. The survivors only noticed just now. Did she not say anything to you?” Seok-chan nearly cowered under his fierce gaze. 

The fact that everyone at the stadium had been oblivious to your absence for that long was infuriating in and of itself. As one of the most important members of the underground community, you were someone who was regularly in contact with a lot of different people. Yeong-hu had much higher expectations of the ones he risked his life to protect. 

But what was more maddening was the growing hunch that this was no mere coincidence. He saw how adamant you were the previous night about doing something to help find Chaewon, as well as the resentment in your eyes when he vehemently told you ‘no’. The utter panic that filled him then was greater than any dread he had experienced before. 

“I want an announcement made on the intercom. Gather any men we can spare right now to start another search outside.”

“But Sergeant Tak said that-”

“I don’t care.”

If anyone thought that Yeong-hu was going to listen to his superior at a time like this, when his very reason for breathing was out there… they had another thing coming. 

He tore through the halls and barked orders at his subordinates, which wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary. But this time, he lacked his usual confidence and composure. Panic gripped him so tightly, he found it difficult to breathe. Broken out in a sweat and fighting the pain in his chest, Yeong-hu did not waste a single second before setting out into the treacherous landscape. 

Nothing mattered more in that moment than making you safe again.

-

It was well past sunset and a few hours into scouting before he felt in his gut that he was getting close to you. Up until then, Yeong-hu’s hope had been dwindling. But he held onto the belief that your intelligence and determination would keep you alive. 

Nighttime was undoubtedly the most precarious time of day to be above ground and out in the open. But the single silver lining of it was that one of his men was able to spot a flashlight from a couple of miles away. Though it was faint, the sergeant never lost sight of it while running impossibly faster through the darkness. No one else could keep up.

As he panted, sprinting hard through rubble and overgrowth, he thought to himself: ‘Whether I be shot down or eaten alive, I would rather die than finally reach this light and have it not be her. Let it be her. Let it be her.’ 

It repeated over and over till his feet delivered him to his destination. 

The yellowed bulb was now bright but unmoving as its holder stilled, shining the beam in the direction of wildly quick footsteps.

You should have felt threatened by what was approaching, but your intuition- maybe even your soul could feel that your other half was near. And when you could finally make out his form, a sense of solace washed over you. 

In your hand was Chaewon’s trembling one, but you gave it a reassuring squeeze to let her know that the both of you were now guarded.

It was not long before you were in Yeong-hu’s embrace, though neither you nor the soldiers observing could celebrate outwardly. So much as speaking above a whisper would pose a risk. That is why he murmured only one thing until all of you successfully made it back to the stadium.

“I love you too much to lose you, Y/n.”

-

Back in the privacy of your room, the words you shared weren’t quite as romantic… at least not at first.

Chaewon was now resting in her bed and so were most of the other survivors, aside from the soldiers who missed their evening meal. They were slurping down hard earned soup, chattering about how they had never seen a certain side of their leader thus far. Though, they were sure that beneath his display of love, there was an archetypal anger ready to surface.

“Not a big deal? Look at you, Y/n!”

“It’s just a few bruises. I’ll be fine.”

“You could have been killed.”

“Oh. So now you know how I’ve felt every day since you enlisted.”

“This is different. I’m trained for danger and you’re not. How could you go behind my back like that?”

“You wouldn’t let me go with you. So what other option did I have?” You took an exasperated breath. “Did you really think that I would let my best friend die out there because you guys couldn’t bother to search properly?”

“Bother to search properly?” His tone lowered, suggesting that you better choose your next words carefully. “We did search over there. It was one of the first places we tried.”

“I know. She told me she saw you.”

Yeong-hu didn’t respond right away. The tension in his jaw and the narrowing of his eyes were a strong indication that he was pissed; pissed that Chaewon had been there all along and that resources had been wasted on additional days of the mission.

“What?” 

“Chae saw you but was afraid, so she hid. I know she's good at blending in. But she shouldn't have gotten past you that easily.”

“Why would she hide from us?”

“She was afraid of you.”

“Why?”

“Because she... It doesn’t matter. I handled it.”

Turning to the wall, you attempted to conceal the tears that began to well up. You were overwhelmed and frustrated with the misapprehension from your husband. What you had just gone through was traumatic, and no part of what was happening was something you wanted.

Even though Yeong-hu’s emotions were heightened, his concern for you had not faltered. Beyond realizing that you were injured and that you would need to have your wounds disinfected, he was able to see that you weren’t just struggling physically. The way you wrapped your arms around yourself and breathed heavily made his heart clench. And while he could not see you, he could tell that you were suppressing your cries.

It was then Yeong-hu realized that you needed him to be a sergeant second and your partner first. 

“Honey,” you heard him say from behind you, just before his warm hand cautiously found its place on your hip. With a gentle pull, he turned you around and lifted your chin when you still refused to look at him. He cupped your cheeks with calloused hands, thumbs wiping away your tears compassionately. Your husband's handsome features were now soft; a stark contrast from how he appeared a moment ago. And his gaze was expectant, but not demanding. 

He would wait until you were ready, but encouraged you with a calm, “What happened?”

After a few shaky breaths, you explained.

“You were right. Chaewon did leave by her own volition. She got a bloody nose. She didn’t tell me or anyone that it happened. But… that’s why she left. She said that she didn’t want to be a risk to me or anyone else at the stadium, but she was too scared to report it because she was worried about how people would react.”

“A symptom of monsterization,” he noted quietly.

“Yes.”

“You knew that she was symptomatic, but still you had us bring her back here?” Despite the alarm bells ringing in his mind, he attempted to remain placid.

“When I found her, she told me she hadn’t experienced any signs since the day she left. So, it could have just been a nosebleed and nothing more. I convinced her to come back under the condition that she is isolated. But I promised Chae that she would be treated fairly.” It was easy to see that the longer you spoke, the less convinced he seemed. But Yeong-hu sincerely tried to be patient and sensitive.

“Not only did you expose yourself to the peril of the outside world; you might have invited that peril in.”

“I was scared... more scared than I’ve ever been.”

Scared. Yeong-hu suddenly was able to fill in the gap; the part that you didn't want to say. Chaewon was afraid to be found because she feared what he would do to her if she was a monster.

“Y/n...” he didn't know what to say. He felt so guilty.

“But I had to, or she would have died!" you interrupted. "And if she’s going to turn, she deserves to be home and treated like a human until-” A wave of sobs completely overtook you then. In your battered fists, Yeong-hu’s shirt was clenched, and your tears stained the fabric at the neckline where your face was now buried. “Please Yeong-hu. No one here knows yet except for you and me. We can watch over her tonight so she can rest peacefully. And then tomorrow we can take her to-”

“Shhh,” he soothed you, tenderly running his hand up and down your back. “It’s going to be okay. Chaewon is lucky to have a friend like you. I’m just sorry that I didn’t find her sooner.” Deep down, he was even more sorry that she thought he or his men would hurt her. That after all of these years, she didn’t believe she could trust him with her life. “We’re going to figure this out. I’ll talk to Sergeant Tak, and Chae will be just fine. Come on, look at me.”

You lifted your head, irises shining below the buzzing fluorescent panels. If it weren’t for Yeong-hu holding you so closely, you just might have fallen apart into pieces on the dusty concrete floor. And if it weren’t for his love, you would have given up altogether a long time ago.

“I promised her,” you whimpered.

“I know, Sweetheart.”

He smiled at you as best he could, kissing the streaks on your cheeks and carefully brushing over the irritated marks on your skin. Despite everything; all the shouting and disheartenment… you both were alive and navigating this world together. For better or worse, in sickness or in health, you were each other’s to love and cherish till death do you part. Until then, you would anxiously await an answer to the downfall of humanity.