#cheong-san

You glance up at the sound of the bell.

Putting on your best customer service voice, you greeted the incoming figures, “Hello, welcome to Cheong-san Chicken, how may I-”

You stopped your greeting, deflating as you realized it was just your brother and his friends. “Oh…it’s you.”

“Hey,” Cheong-san scolded, “We’re still customers. We want chicken.”

You raised an eyebrow, looking over him and his friends, all still in their school uniforms. “And are you planning on paying?”

Cheong-san paused before lowering his head, looking up at you with his best attempt at puppy dog eyes. “I was hoping my beautiful older sister would make some for her younger brother and his friends, who are all stressing about senior year.” He spoke up, trying to guilt you.

“No”

Cheong-san and his friends all made noises of disapproval… well, all but one.

“Come on, y/n, you remember how hard senior year was. Have sympathy on us youngsters,” I-sak called out, pleading, as she leaned on On-jo’s shoulder. The pair were starving.

You narrowed your eyes at her. “Youngsters? You’re a year younger than I am. My senior year ended only a few months ago,” You pointed out.

"And yet you've already stopped showing us sympathy. It's like you're a grumpy old woman," On-jo teases, and Cheong-san nods along with his friends.

"Hey!"

The voice of protest did not come from you, but instead from Gyeong-su, who was glaring at his friends.

“She is still a beautiful, young, gorgeous… lively, pretty woman. And you should respect her,” He announced dramatically before turning to look directly at you, as if you were going to praise him for defending you.

You smirked, “Thanks, Gyeong-su,” you spoke in a teasing tone, and he instantly melted, smiling at you with a stupid grin. He couldn't help that his name sounded so beautiful coming from your mouth.

“Dude! That’s my sister,” Cheong-san whacked Gyeong-su's arm, though the boy barely winced - too focused on you.

“Lucky for you, I’m in a good mood. Just this once, I’ll make you some chicken… on the house.”

The group cheered, now all sending you praises and thanks. Though Cheong San annoyed you, like all younger brothers do, you could sympathise with the stress of senior year. The way parents and teachers treated it, it seemed like even a zombie apocalypse wouldn't get you out of exams.

It felt weird to now have free time with university running much less frequently. You picked up a job at your parents' shop just to fill in the time in your now-empty days.

The least you could do is make them some chicken.

You heard someone clear their throat, breaking you out of your thoughts. Turning, you were met with Gyeong-su, who was still standing by the counter, watching as you heated up the oil.

“Shouldn’t you be studying with the others?” You nodded your head over to where the others had set up their books, starting to study. Cheong-san kept gazing up at Gyeong-su, sending him a suspicious look.

He didn't quite believe that Gyeong-su had stayed back just to ‘grab some napkins’.

“I wanted to ask how you’ve been,” He spoke, trying to seem casual. You eyed him, mimicking the suspicious look your brother held.

“I’ve been good, Gyeong-su.” You kept your answer simple, bracing yourself for what he had to say next.

“Anything new going on in your life? Like, oh… I don't know… maybe a new boyfriend?”

You snorted, finally working out the reason he came over. “No. Can’t say that I have a new boyfriend,”

Gyeong-su let out an exaggerated gasp, as if he hadn't already interrogated Cheong-san about your dating life. “Well, that shouldn't be. You're too pretty to be single.” He leaned closer over he counter. “How about this? I'm a kind person. I can be your boyfriend.”

You looked him up and down, as he held his arms out, like he was presenting himself to you.

“I’m not going to date you, Gyeong-su.” You spoke blankly as you began to transfer the chicken from the frier into a basket. His arms instantly slumped, and he frowned. “Why not?” Gyeong-su whined.

“Because you’re still a high schooler.”

He gave an offended look. “You were just complaining that you're only a year older than us. It’s a perfectly acceptable age gap… I wouldn't even call it that.” He rambled, hoping to convince you to reconsider.

You shook your head. “But it’s different. A lot happens in a year after you graduate. I’ve become a woman, while you’re still a boy.”

He pouted, not really helping his case. “I’m a man”

You hummed at the comment, though you clearly didn't believe him.

“I am a man, I swear. I’ll do anything to prove it,” Gyeong-su insisted, seeing how you weren't listening.

You placed the basket of chicken in front of him. “Can you take this chicken over to your friends?” You asked, and he looked down at the chicken, then back at you.

“Will you be my girlfriends if I do?”

“Nope.” You shook your head, and he sighed, still taking the chicken with him as he dragged his feet back to his friends. “Thank you,” You sang out after him, before returning to cleaning the kitchen, waiting for some real customers.

You and Cheong-san’s friends stayed relatively separate from then on, Gyeong-su trying to steal glances at you ever so often, only to be scolded by Cheong-san.

After a while, you heard the bell at the door ring again.

“Hello, welcome to Cheong-san chicken-” You cut your greeting short again, seeing that this time it was only your mother.

“Hi, Mom,” You greeted, and Cheong-san and his friends all called out greetings.

“Oh, look at you. I'm so proud of you, working in the family business.” Your mother rushed over to you, taking your cheeks in her hands and squeezing them. “My little girl is all grown up,”

Cheong-san laughed at your embarrassment as your mother began to fuss over you.

“Mom, stop it. It’s embarrassing” you whispered and she waved you off. “Please, you don't need to be embarrassed in front of them,” She gestured to the younger teens, who were all giggling.

“I’m just so happy to see you working so hard. I told you, a job really is the only way to become a proper adult.”

Suddenly, there was a banging sound, as something hit the floor. You all turned to see Gyeong-su now standing, his seat pushed to the floor.

You’re mother tilted her head, confused by the boy's sudden movement. “Gyeong-su, are you alright?”

“Mrs Lee,” He spoke, moving forward and bowing in front of her.

“I would like to get a job at your establishment.” 

---

“I still don't think it’s a good idea to hire a senior. Maybe you should reconsider”

You pleaded with your mother as she moved around the restaurant, tidying it up.

“I mean, you're the one who told me you’d rather me lose a leg than be distracted in senior year.”

Your mother waved you off. “He’s only going to be doing deliveries on the weekends. We need some extra help.”

“No, we don't.” You gestured to the empty restaurant. You had managed to get a group of regulars to keep your business afloat, but you weren't exactly drowning in business.

“I think it’s very admirable what he’s doing. Especially everything going on with his family,” She sent you a look, warning you not to fight with her anymore.

“I guess so,” You admitted, as the sound of the door opening caught your attention.

An unimpressed-looking Cheong-san had opened the door for an ecstatic Gyeong-su. He sent you an excited wave, though your mother was the one to return it.

“Look who's here,” Cheong-san grumbled. As much as he loved the boy, Gyeong-su was his best friend after all, he hated how excited he got every time you were brought up.

“Thank you again for this job, Mrs. Lee. You're the best," Gyeong-su cheered, and your mom beamed at the compliment. "You will not regret hiring me.”

“Oh, you are such a sweet boy.” Your mom smiled sweetly. She gestured to you. “Y/n will be training you tonight, alright.”

“What?” You, Gyeong-su, and Cheong-san all exclaimed at the same time, though Gyeong-su was the only one saying it with joy.

“What? You’re leaving them alone,” Cheong san complained, gesturing angrily between the two of you. You didn't seem much happier about the idea.

“Yes, I have to run some errands around town, ”Your mom spoke, and Cheong-san gaped in disbelief. “Don't worry about the business, your sister is fully capable of taking care of it herself.” Your mother smiled, completely oblivious to the real reason he was upset.

“But mom-”

“No buts,” She interrupted Cheong-san, “Now get back to studying. We don't want you failing senior year,” She ushered him out, not letting him get a word in before closing the door of the shop.

You and Gyeong-su were now all alone.

You dragged your hands over your face, groaning as you thought about the shift ahead. Opening your eyes again, you looked to Gyeong-su, who was already staring at you.

You gave him a blank look, and he smiled widely. “Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?”

You sighed. “Come on, let’s get you to work.” He quickly moved to your side, standing awfully close to you as you led him to the kitchen. He bumped into you as you abruptly stopped, grabbing your arm for support.

“I'm going to need some space,” You ordered, moving your arm away, and he quickly shuffled away. Despite your scolding, he still looked at you enthusiastically.

“Ok, so first off, we have our spicy sauce, our mild sauce, and our sweet sauce.” You showed him, and he just grinned.

“You’re sweet,”

You groaned, turning to face him. “Look, Gyeong-su, I hope you didn't just get this job to impress me.” You pointed at him, and he shrugged. “I just got this job because I’m a man, and men have jobs.”

He tried to act casual. “If you're impressed by me and fall in love, that would just be an added bonus.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “Well, I’ll let you know now - you not listening and getting dirstacted by me won't do much to prove you're a man”

He seemed to freeze at that reveal, his mind racing as he took in the new information.

“So if you want to impress me, you'd better listen to the rules. You got that?”

Gyeong-su nodded, suddenly filled with determination. You shook your head at the goofy boy, not being able to take him seriously at all.

Still, you couldn't deny that for the rest of the night: he showed an impressive amount of work ethic. 

---

You heard the bell ring as you mopped the floor of the restaurant.

“Last delivery all done,” Gyeong-su announced proudly as he swaggered through the restaurant.

He had been working at Cheong-an Chicken for over a month, and you had to admit - he had been a lot of help to the company. He was always on time, he got amazing reviews from customers, and he always offered to help with work even if it wasn't in his description.

So far, the only issue was that Gyeong-su’s “little crush” hadn't gone away in the weeks of working with you.

You nodded as he put the delivery bags away neatly on the shelf. Once he was done, he headed back to the floor, watching you mop.

“Sooo… do you have any plans for after work?” He asked, and you shrugged. “I don't know, not in particular. The night is still young, so I'm willing to make plans.”

He smiled widely. “Really? What do you think you might do?” Maybe this was finally his chance.

“Hmmm,” You pretended to think, tapping your chin dramatically. “Maybe I’ll go get a drink at a bar.”

You smirked, and Gyeong-su’s face dropped. You know full well that he was trying to get you to hang out with him. You also knew full well he still had a few more months until he turned 19.

He groaned. “When are you going to see that I’m a man?” He whined, and you raised an eyebrow. “When you start acting like one,” You gestured to his little hissy fit, as you rolled the mop and bucket back towards the supply closet.

“But I have been acting like it.” Gyeong-su followed you, a desperate look on his face. “I’ve been working really hard here, and your dad even said I was one of the hardest workers he’s ever met.”

“I don’t disagree,” You spoke, patting him on the shoulder. “But that doesn't make you a man.”

You grabbed your purse, slipping on your jacket as you headed towards the door. Yeah, your house was only upstairs, but Gyeong-su had planted the idea of going out after work, and now you wanted a drink.

Before you could reach the door, Gyeong-su’s voice broke through the silence.

“Is it me? Do you just not like me?”

You turned around to see him looking at you with a sad face.

“Because I really like you, so if there’s something wrong with me, I’ll change it.”

You stare at Gyeong-su as his eyes roam your face. Despite all his desperate attempts to ask you out, he had always seemed shameless. This was the first time you had seen him truly vulnerable.

You couldn't help but feel a wave of guilt wash over you.

Sighing, you walked over to one of the packed-up restaurant tables, taking a seat at it and sitting on it. You gestured for Geyong-su to follow, which he did quickly, looking up at you expectantly.

“Look, Gyeong-su, you're a nice guy.”

He winced at the worst. “Oh, this sounds like every rejection ever,” He complained, burying his head in his arms.

“No, I’m serious,” You insisted, gently pulling on his back so he was facing you again. “You are an amazing guy. You are hard-working and caring, and you have never once made me uncomfortable - you listen when I say stop and you make sure everyone around you is included. You're also very funny…girls love funny.”

He looked up at you, trying to hold back a smile.

“You are better than, like, 80% of guys from my year level. You know what, make it 90.”

He shyly smiled, though the look was quickly replaced with one of confusion. “Then why don't you like me?”

You took a deep breath. “It’s not that I don't like you, Gyeong-su.”

He lit up, this being the first time you even suggested anything but neutrality about him.

“But you are going through a very different stage of your life right now. I know it’s only a year difference, but your last year of high school and your first year out are not compatible. It wouldn't be fair for you to have to try and balance the university lifestyle while you need to graduate, in the same way it wouldn't be fair for me to be tied back down to high school while I’m trying to find my footing as an adult.”

Gyeong-su nodded silently, hanging his head down a little bit. You frowned at the reaction. "Gyeong-su, I swear I'm not making this up. If things were different then…" You trailed off, not wanting to actually say it out loud. It hurt a bit to think about how things could be different.

Maybe Gyeong-su had grown on you more than you thought.

Placing a gentle hand on his back, you leaned down a bit, trying to get a view of the boy who was still hiding his face. “Do you understand what I mean?” You asked, wanting to make sure you hadn't broken his heart.

"Yeah, I do," Gyeong-su nodded.

“You mean…. that we can date as soon as I graduate high school?”

He turned to you, finally revealing his face, which was covered in a crazy grin. You couldn't help but snort at his expression.

“Really? That’s all you got?” You asked, and he nodded, standing up from his chair with a look of determination.

“I’m going to be such a good boyfriend to you next year,” He spoke excitedly, before pointing a finger at you. “So you better not go find another boyfriend til then. I know the boys your age don't treat you as well as I do.”

You shook your head fondly, hearing your own words used against you. “You’re crazy,” You simply stated, though there was no insult behind your words.

“Put those chairs away and lock up before you leave,” You ordered as you stood up and headed to the front door.

“I’m serious, you know?” Gyeong-su called out to you. “As soon as I graduate, I’m going to ask you to be my girlfriend.”

You couldn't help but smile at the sweet, handsome boy pointing at you.

“I look forward to it.” 

You didn’t really have any real friends, only ones you would talk to occasionally in the halls and at the beginning of classes. You never would actually text them outside of class, and the conversations would dull after the topic of school stopped, but you liked them nonetheless. You were more of an introvert anyways so not requiring yourself to make friends outside of school was nice. No requirements or plans to attend. There was really only one person who you would actually consider your friend; the only person you would willingly get out of bed to hang out with. 

And he was currently throwing pieces of broccoli at the back of your head.

Yoon Gwi-nam. The school bully’s gopher and, unfortunately, your best friend. You’d been his friend since 7th grade before he joined the group of the bad and left you alone. You weren’t too upset since he still hung out with you outside of school and showed you his friendly affection in other ways - such as with the broccoli bits that were tangled in your hair at the moment - but it got lonely at times. You also knew he only was in their group because of how you’d gotten bullied at the beginning of freshman year and he stood up for you. From there, he also got bullied until one day it just… stopped. For the both of you. The next time you saw him, he was smirking with an arm wrapped around Myeong-hwan’s shoulder as the boy berated a timid-looking girl who had tears running down her cheeks. 

He’d explained everything after school when you’d been ignoring him and you reluctantly agreed to his actions, knowing he was doing it for your benefit as much as, if not more than, his. You didn’t like it, but you weren’t sure of any way to stop him after he’d already dug himself too deep. 

Another broccoli piece hit your head and you leaned your head down to hide your face and your smile. To everyone, you just looked like another one of Gwi-nam and Myeong-hwan’s victims but this wasn’t bullying. This was something you had been doing since the both of you were in seventh grade. It was a test to see how long you could go without getting annoyed and if it lasted more than 10 minutes then you got a beautiful reward of a nice, crisp 5 dollar bill. If you lost, you had to lose said nice, crisp 5 dollar bill. 

The constant hitting was getting on your nerves and you prepared yourself to lose $5 just until you saw students. They were acting weird, crowding around the glass wall leading to the outdoors and screaming. They banged on the door until it broke and everyone fell to the ground in a pile. You stood up to rush forward to help them but stopped halfway across the room when you saw blood.

They were… eating each other.

You stood there paralyzed as you watched and couldn’t move even as one of them started rushing towards you. Just as the bloodied student got within a foot of your face, it was suddenly launched backward by a familiar sneaker.

“Are you okay?” You heard Gwi-nam ask you and scream your name but you just stared in shock at the body that contorted on the floor before it shot back up and roared. Just as it started to charge at you, Gwi-nam yanked you as he grabbed a lunch tray and slammed it across the beast’s face. It fell to the ground and Gwi-nam grabbed your hand to drag you away from the swarm. The sprinklers had turned on from the kitchen catching on fire and suddenly everything was slippery and you could barely keep your footing.

Correction, you couldn’t keep your footing. You slipped to the ground and Gwi-nam’s hand fell from your own when he was tackled by a zombie. He only barely was able to grab another lunch tray and stick it between the beast’s teeth before it could bite him. You quickly stood up and kicked the zombie off of him, slipping while trying to lift Gwi-nam and running hand in hand towards the closing doors of the kitchen. You crouched down and ducked under the metal table before any of the ones in the room could see you. Quickly after, you were joined by two others, a boy and a girl. 

“Get out! No!” Gwi-nam whisper-yelled as he tried to force them back out but you just pulled his hands away from the boy’s hair. 

“Gwi-nam stop! They’ll hear us! Just let them in,” you whispered to him and he rolled his eyes but knew you were right. As everyone piled in, you almost yelped when your legs got pushed out into the walkway but held your hand over your mouth as you pulled your legs back in, holding your breath as you waited to see if any zombie had seen you. Luckily they hadn’t. 

Gwi-nam cursed and glared at the boy who had unintentionally, or maybe intentionally, pushed your leg out. He grabbed you by the waist, pulling you in between his legs so you were laying against his chest to make room for the two as you curled in on yourself. You were too much in shock to think about the crush you’d been harboring for him for years as the first of many tears started to fall down your cheek. A small and almost inaudible whimper escaped your lips but Gwi-nam heard it and quickly used one of his hands to cover your mouth while the other wrapped around your waist and pulled your back further into his chest as he rocked you slightly. No other sounds left you but the tears continued to fall. 

The girl across from you wasn’t as lucky. She whimpered loudly as she cried and you reached out to take her hand, trying to get her to calm down but she just cried louder. 

Gwi-nam let go of your mouth and waist to reach forward and wrap his hands around her face to cover her mouth. “Shh! Shut the fuck up!” He gritted out through his teeth quietly. His head snapped up when he heard snarling before making the quick decision to just kick her out from under the table. She screamed, attracting all of the zombies’ attention and she tried to get up and run away but they got her. You covered your mouth as your breathing quickened and clenched your eyes tightly together. Gwi-nam pulled you into his chest and your head rested in the crook of his neck. The water from the sprinklers was still dripping down the sides of the table the three of you hid under. Your clothes and hair were soaked completely and so were Gwi-nam’s. More tears fell from your eyes and you clinged to his shirt tightly. 

“Go get it,” you heard the boy from above tell the boy across from the two of you. 

“No. I won't,” he protested, whimpering when he saw the glare on his face grow. 

“You stupid little…” Gwi-nam reached forward to grab onto his hair and yanked it. 

“Stop. Please!” He begged. “Just send her! She’s crying just like the other girl was!” He suggested, thinking he was giving a good solution. 

Gwi-nam didn’t speak for a second and you heard the boy let out a sigh of relief when his hair was released. “You know what, you’re right,” you heard him say and your body tensed. He wasn’t actually going to send you out there, was he? “She is crying.”

You forced your body to relax, accepting whatever would happen to you next but tensed back up in surprise when Gwi-nam kicked the boy out into the open. 

“But she’s important.”

The boy quietly started crying when he saw the zombies running towards him and latching onto his leg. He grabbed onto your leg, pulling you with him as he begged for help. 

“Please, help!” He dragged you out from under the table and you had to bite your tongue to keep from screaming as you desperately kicked at his hands. Gwi-nam came up from behind you and dragged you away, helping you to your feet before moving the both of you to dodge a zombie approaching him from behind. He quickly pushed you down so you were climbing through the space under the metal table before following closely behind and moving out of the way just as you put another, smaller, table in between the space of the two of you and the zombie. It just barely stopped the zombie from underneath, who you realized was the girl Gwi-nam had kicked out from under the table, from biting the two of you as she reached desperately but to no avail. As the two of you took a deep breath of relief from the zombie being out of reach, you quickly tugged Gwi-nam away by the sleeve after seeing another zombie approaching from the right and pushed a moving cart in front of the undead boy, causing him to fall over and scramble to get up. You both backed up and you heard someone trying to get your attention from beside you. 

“Hey, kids. Down here. Come quick!” The older lunch lady told you and motioned for you to join her under the countertop. You let out a breath of relief as you moved towards her but it faltered when you saw the zombie you knocked over with the cart get up and rush towards you. Gwi-nam quickly grabbed your wrist and moved you out of the way as he grabbed the woman’s outreached hand and pulled her in front of him just as the zombie latched its teeth onto her neck. Her screams echoed through the small room and you let out a shaky breath as he pushed both the woman and the zombie away before rushing forward, your hands still interlocked, and trying to get to the other side of the kitchen. He stopped short and turned around to go the other direction when he saw the boy who suggested throwing you to the zombies contort his body in odd ways before getting up and scrambling towards you. Another zombie ran towards Gwi-nam but he stopped just short to avoid being the next victim of the virus, pulling you away from the zombie boy sneaking up on you from behind. Gwi-nam bent down suddenly and grabbed a knife, holding it out in front of him as he pushed you behind him and into a corner. Feeling useless, you looked around for something, anything, to help and luckily saw a butcher’s knife laying on a cutting board where lettuce pieces were scattered around on. As Gwi-nam was looking at one of the zombies on the other side of the room, the girl trapped underneath the metal table had escaped and jumped towards him before you grabbed her hair to yank her back, slashing her across the neck and getting blood scattered across your hand and face. You didn’t have any time to be disgusted or wipe yourself off when the lunch lady came up to you, now zombified, and tried to pull your arm into her mouth only for you to slash her across the face with your knife and then again across her throat, successfully making her drop to the floor in a lifeless heap. You looked over just in time to see the boy who turned the lunch lady into a zombie charge for Gwi-nam only to be thrown to the ground after he stabbed him through the neck with his own knife. Hastily, the two of you killed off the remaining zombies in the room together and breathed heavily after you finished. 

You walked over to the sink and grabbed a paper towel from a roll to your left before wetting it and wiping down your face before turning to Gwi-nam and walking over to him. It wasn’t a lot, but he had blood drops scattered along his face so you gently reached up to wipe them away and he just watched you in silence with an unknown look in his eyes as you did. 

Once you were done, you let your hand fall to your side and dropped the wipe to the side with a heavy sigh. The sound of creaking was heard to the side and the both of you looked over in fear as the gate protecting you from the horde of zombies surrounding the kitchen started to break in some areas. “We should go. I don’t think that will hold them for much longer. Especially since they know we’re in here and probably won’t back down anytime soon,” you told him and he nodded in agreement. He looked around before setting his eyes on the window of the room and pointing to it. 

“There. We can use that to leave. We definitely can’t use the kitchen entrance so I think this will be the best option,” he explained and you hummed in agreement as you both walked up to it. You saw a lever to the side and quickly unlatched it before pushing the window open and looking around outside to see if there was anything, or anyone, out there that would put either of you at risk. The sun was going down and it was harder to see but you looked over and saw a small alleyway that appeared to be empty. You quickly jumped up onto the windowsill and Gwi-nam frantically put his hands on your waist to stop you from falling, which you let out a small laugh at. You sent him a look behind your shoulder and he rolled his eyes before playfully pretending to push you forward which you flinched at but then let out a small laugh. Jumping down onto the other side of the window, you kept watch as Gwi-nam helped himself get over the sill to hop down beside you. The both of you snuck behind the alleyway and peeked behind the wall to look for any escape. By that point,  the sun had faded behind the horizon and the world was encased in darkness besides the lights that automatically turned on from the school’s lampposts. Looking around, you noticed a bike. Without looking, you lightly tapped Gwi-nam on the chest to get his attention and pointed at it. 

“Fuck, luck us,” he exclaimed quietly and looked around to see how much of a risk the path to the bike was. “All we need to do is get to the bike.”

Grabbing your hand in one of his and his knife in the other, he quickly set a path to there. You noticed zombies had realized your appearance and tried to tug him back but it was too late. Letting go of his hand, you grabbed an oncoming zombie by the shoulders and threw it to the ground behind you, helping Gwi-nam up from where he’d fallen. You both sprinted to the vehicle and you grabbed both Gwi-nam and your own knives while he hastily got on the bike, trying to get it started and going quick enough for you to jump on so the two of you could go. Unfortunately, as he started ascending the bike, the two of you noticed the chain was broken and you cursed at your luck. 

Not so lucky after all. 

Abandoning the bike, the two of you jumped off and made a run for the school’s front entrance. The bike had slowed down the zombies behind you but the ones in front of you were still a risk and you had to stab one to stop it from getting too close. You gave Gwi-nam his knife back after you two had successfully made it back into the building and closed the glass doors behind you. Letting out an exasperated groan, you yanked Gwi-nam’s hand and pulled him along as you saw more zombies chasing after you, these ones inside of the building with you. You both ran around through the corridors, getting cornered by zombies but luckily finding an open door. 

The principal’s office.

You both ran in and Gwi-nam slammed the door shut behind him. You turned around just in time for a zombie to lunge at you and you shoved its chest hard so it fell backwards. Gwi-nam grabbed one that was creeping up behind you and stabbed it a few times through the neck before throwing it over the principal’s desk where you heard it twitching and groaning before going silent. While he dealt with the another one, you handled the other two and the two of you cleared the room with great amounts of exerted effort. 

You bent forward and rested your hands on your knees as you took deep breaths in to try and regulate your breathing. “Fuck. What the fuck. This is so fucked up,” you rambled under your breath and was Gwi-nam carelessly threw his knife down onto the coffee table before resting his hands above his head to try and regulate his own breathing. 

“I hate this fucking school,” he complained and unceremoniously plopped down onto one of the soft chairs in the room. Walking over, you plopped down onto the one next to him and sighed. 

“Let’s just go to sleep for a bit, we’re both too fucking tired to think properly, let alone fight anymore. Maybe tomorrow we can try to find another way out,” you reached over to where a modern rotary phone resided and tried dialing 119 but the dead dial tone playing through showed you that it was either broken or the calling services no longer worked. You sighed in exhaustion before falling to the side and resting your head on the arm rest of the chair. You could feel Gwi-nam’s eyes on you but didn’t bother looking up at him as your eyes fell heavily closed and your breathing seemed to even out on its own. The soft hand that fell onto your hair and gently caressed it away from your face didn’t help in keeping you awake and you felt your consciousness slipping through your fingers like sand at the beach. 

The next morning, Gwi-nam woke with a start as he felt tapping on his arm and turned to see the one and only principal next to him. His hand fell away from where it limply rested atop your head and you let out a small groan of protest in your sleep which he would have thought was adorable if he wasn’t just rudely awoken by one of the last people he wanted to see. “Hey. You're Gwi-nam, right?” The principal asked him while he looked around nervously.

“What? Why?”

“How is it outside? Still the same?” He pestered and Gwi-nam groaned as he realized the situation he was still in, turning over in his seat to try and go back to sleep, now knowing neither you nor him were in any danger. 

“You can drive a car, right?” The principal asked him and he just looked up at him before shaking his head lightly. 

“I can't,” he denied. 

“Come on!” The principal complained. “I had to cover up your mess last year when you guys drove your dad's car and caused an accident!” Gwi-nam just looked around in slight embarrassment before looking back up at him questioningly. 

“Why do you ask?”

The principal reached into his pocket and retrieved a keychain with his car keys attached. “Here's my car key. It's in the parking lot. License plate, 7340,” he turned to go to his desk, opening a drawer and retrieving something from there before closing it loudly. Gwi-nam’s head snapped over to where you were still laying asleep and breathed out a sigh of relief when you didn’t even stir. “Bring it here,” the man walked over with a new pair of fresh socks in his hand and sat down on the couch beside you to put them on. 

Gwi-nam slowly sat up and leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. “Why?” He questioned. 

“Go to the night duty room and out the window, it's in the lot.”

Gwi-nam groaned, realizing what he was being asked to do and layed back in the chair with his feet resting on the coffee table. His head laid against the back of the cushion and his hand returned to resting on top of your head, lazily scratching your head with his fingertips. “No way.”

“You punk. Listen to your principal at once!” The man arrogantly ordered him but Gwi-nam just sat back up and looked at him in annoyance while he defied him. 

“I said no,” his eyes looked over at his knife just as the principal’s did too and they both reached forward for the object at the same time. The principal was quicker and grabbed onto it, holding it out in front of him awkwardly but threateningly. 

“Give me that,” Gwi-nam demanded before grabbing onto the principal’s wrist and wrestling him for it. “Give me that!”

“You punk!”

“I said to let go!” Gwi-nam raised his voice as he finally got the principal to let go and looked down at you briefly only to see you still sleeping peacefully on the chair. “Damn it,” he sighed quietly and waved the knife back and forth as he looked back at the principal who looked terrified. 

“Fine. Just get out of here.”

“Go with me.” Gwi-nam insisted but the man shook his head in rebuttal. 

“Why should I? You go.”

“Go with me to the car. It'd be nice to have a shield, anyway,” Gwi-nam told him while gesturing to the older man’s body as he explained the purpose he would be using him for. 

“What's wrong with you? Stay away!” The principal picked up a plant pot from beside him and held it above his head as if he was going to throw it. 

“My god. Look at you,” Gwi-nam degraded and rolled his eyes at how pathetic he looked. “All right, Mr. Principal. If this were a game, I'd be… happy to kill you… sir.”

“Stop! Stay away!” The older man begged after Gwi-nam took a step forward, his voice raising. “Why don’t you just take her!” He pointed down to where you were still sleeping peacefully, undisturbed by the loud noises coming from above around you and Gwi-nam hosted a smile for a moment before turning back to glare at his so-called principal. 

“God, why does everything suggest that?” He took another threatening step forward. “Is it so fucking hard to see that she’s important to me? I guess everyone is just too fucking dense to see it.” The principal looked worried for his own safety and suddenly Gwi-nam had wrestled him down so he was pressed against the coffee table with his chest down. “And keep it down, would you? She may be a fucking deep sleeper but anyone would wake up with a voice annoying as yours blaring in their ears.”

Suddenly, the door burst open and a familiar face popped in. 

Cheong-san looked back and forth between the two of them, his eyes falling on the sleeping girl on the couch before training back on where Gwi-nam had the principal restrained against the table. 

“Is that the principal?” He questioned, confused.

“Get this jerk off my back!” The older man protested and begged. “Get this psychopath!”

“Shh! I told you to shut the fuck up, didn’t I?” Gwi-nam grabbed his collar roughly to stop him from talking.

“What the hell, Gwi-nam?” Cheong-san asked the bully only to receive no answer but a demand instead. 

“Cheong-san. Come here and tie his arms. The bastard won't stay still.”

“Hey. What are you doing?” He questioned with his eyes blown wide in shock.

“Come and tie him up,” Gwi-nam tried again. 

“You're finished. Do you hear me? I'm expelling you! Untie me now!” The principal yelled only for Gwi-nam to shush him again and press his knife against his throat.

“Gwi-nam! Stop that!”

“Stop what? This fucking guy…” he stood up, pointing towards the helpless and pathetic man on the table before pointing the knife towards himself. “Tried to kill me. He said to go out and get his car!” He then switched the knife to his other hand and pointed his now knife free hand towards you. “And he tried to make me use her as a shield!” Gwi-nam leaned back down over the principal and pressed the knife onto his neck again. “You call yourself a principal.”

He suddenly got off of the principal and hid the knife behind his back as he saw Cheong-san bring out a phone from his pocket and start recording him.

“That's right. Good idea!” The principal praised Cheong-san’s quick thinking.

“I'm filming everything,” the boy explained. “Let go, or I'm gonna send this to the police immediately.”

“You little… I will kill you,” Gwi-nam threatened. 

“Just stop acting like human garbage. No one respects you just because you act tough.”

“I'm the new boss of this school,” Gwi-nam explained to him like it was obvious. “Don't you get it?”

“Don't make me laugh. You're just a fucking loser who will serve bullies for his entire life,” Cheong-san spat at him and Gwi-nam’s face fell to a much more intimidating and annoyed one. He let his arms fall from behind his back, the knife no longer hidden from the camera. 

“Yeah? Say that again,” Gwi-nam dared him but turned around after the principal had maneuvered himself off the table so he was near you, his leg pumped into yours and you stirred faintly which caused Gwi-nam to rush forward, slicing the side of the principal’s neck where he fell to the floor and bled out. 

He walked towards Cheong-san who lowered the phone down in shock after seeing what he just witnessed. “You fucking…” Cheong-san couldn’t finish his sentence because of his shock as Gwi-nam walked towards him slowly, wiping the blood from his knife into his red-stained white button up shirt. 

“So am I… still a loser? Are you with me or not? The phone,” Gwi-nam stuck his hand out as he demanded him to give him the phone with the video on it. 

“You just murder-”

“Give me the phone!”

Gwi-nam lunged forward, trying to slash at Cheong-san who narrowly avoided his attack. The two ran around each other and scuffled for a bit before Cheong-san got ahead and ran out of the room with the cell phone in his possession. The zombies in the hall followed after him and Gwi-nam ran after him before turning back to look at you where you were still sleeping. It amazed him how heavy of a sleeper you were, not waking up even after all of that chaos. He rushed forward, giving you a sweet kiss on your forehead before silently promising you he would be back, running out the door and softly closing it behind him before chasing after Cheong-san. 

Soon enough, the two ended up in the library. After seeing Cheong-san getting mauled off of the top of a bookshelf, Gwi-nam jumped on top of the bookshelf and yanked the shirt of the boy who pushed him off, successfully returning the favor and causing the zombies to lunge for the fallen boy. Gwi-nam chased after Cheong-san, both boys avoiding zombies whenever they came into near contact with them. The latter had jumped up onto a bookshelf but was stopped when a couple of zombies had tried to pull his leg down so he would fall. He managed to kick them off him and got onto the bookshelf but one followed him up. It miscalculated its jump and slammed into the light, bringing it down with it as it fell to the ground. Cheong-san had no time to breathe in relief as he saw Gwi-nam appear on top of another bookshelf and jump after him. They both scrambled after and away from each other, now crouching next to each other only separated by the gap of the two bookshelves and the zombies below. 

“Cut it out,” Cheong-san grit out while both of them breathed heavily.

“Give me the fucking phone,” Gwi-nam demanded and held out his hand, waiting impatiently. He was desperate to get back to you, desperate to just hold you again and finally be able to say what he’d been too much of a coward to for the past three years. Now might as well be the perfect time. 

“You killed the principal. You're a murderer.”

“You made me kill him, you shit!” Gwi-nam hissed. “You wanted proof I wasn't a coward.”

“You're insane.”

Gwi-nam slowly stood up, ready to fight and Cheong-san followed his lead. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Cheong-san dashed in the other direction. Gwi-nam followed and lunged for the boy’s legs, knocking him down so he hit his head on the top of a bookshelf before falling to the floor where zombies quickly followed after and tried to take a bite of his flesh. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on who you asked, Cheong-san managed to get back up on a bookshelf only to find Gwi-nam already there. He kicked him in the stomach only to have ended up landing on his back with Cheong-san on top of him, trying to stop all of his attacks. The bookshelf rattled from the two’s fighting and from the zombies below trying to knock them over. 

Gwi-nam noticed the pulling the zombies had been doing to the bottom of his pant leg and screamed at them, “Get off me!”

Just as he managed to get the zombies off and stood up, Cheong-san pulled down the light above them and slammed it against Gwi-nam’s back. An act that seemed to have no effect. The boy grabbed Cheong-san and slammed him down against the bookshelf before forcing his head over the edge and making it so he was dangling above the zombies who reached up and tried to grab at his hair. 

“Should I save you?” Gwi-nam taunted. “What do you say? Beg for your life. Come on.”

“Screw you,” the other boy refused and Gwi-nam pulled his head up to punch him a few times, succeeding in knocking him out before searching his pants for the phone. 

Just as he found it and tried to search for the photos app, Cheong-san woke up again and hit the phone out of his reach, just barely managing to catch it in his other hand above the zombie horde who reached endlessly for a bit of his flesh. Gwi-nam angrily resorted to choking him to try and get him to either pass out again or to reluctantly give him the phone.

Neither of which happened.

Gwi-nam screamed and whimpered in agony as he found himself with the edge of the phone lodged in his eyes, screaming even more as he then found himself being pushed off of the bookshelf and into the void of death below. 

He fought for a way out, pushing the zombies away but only ending up to where he was laying against the top of a table and the zombies piled on top of him. He reached out for Cheong-san, now begging for his own life in an act of life’s cruel irony. “Damn it! Shit! Help me! Cheong-san! Fuck! Oh, please!” He begged and begged but Cheong-san only looked down at him before looking away, trying to plan for his escape. Gwi-nam cursed him silently, vowing to end his life and not let him get away with this.

“I'll kill you. I will kill you. Fuck you,” He cursed him in his head. “I'll…”

He stopped moving all together as his body gave in to the call of death, only leaving one last thought as he left the land of the living. 

You.

Less than an hour later, Gwi-nam awoke in the same spot on the table, confused and scared as zombies still surrounded him. He looked down and pinch lightly at where he saw a bite mark had appeared on his stomach. “Oh, shit. Did I die? Am I dead?”

Suddenly zombies came running towards him after hearing the noise. He gasped and flinched back as he prepared himself to be attacked again only for the zombie to stop short after smelling him. More followed but none attacked him. They all just turned away like there was nobody there. 

“Hey!” He experimented after the zombies turned around, looking for their next prey. They all turned back to him but turned back around after not smelling fresh meat. 

A small smirk started to cover his face as he started to realize what was happening. “Aren't you gonna eat me, you zombie bastards?”

When they all growled but made no move to attack him. He let out a confused laugh before deciding to stand up, still cautious of the zombies surrounding him. When none of them tried to go after him, the fear he harbored started to dim and he gained more confidence with every step. He walked up to where a cracked mirror was and took slow steps as the memory of Cheong-san stabbing him with the edge of the phone refilled his mind. He slowly touched his eye, wincing when it stung a tiny bit but much less than he expected it to. 

“Cheong-san, you son of a bitch! I'll kill you,” he vowed before his one good eye widened in realization. “Fuck!” 

He started panicking as he thought about you being all alone before realizing he had closed the door and you were safely inside, probably still asleep from how deep of a sleeper you were. He calmed down and walked around, finding a ONE HEART club jacket and putting it on after taking off his blood-stained white button-up. 

“What the fuck?” He sighed as he put the jacket on and zipped it up. “That means…” He paused as he looked around at the zombies who were growling and running into the walls around him. “I'm God.”

He rolled his eyes at the zombies before making his way back towards the principal’s office. He opened the door quickly and entered the room before any zombies could follow up behind him. He walked over and saw you in the same position he had left you in with your head resting on the arm rest and your legs curled up. He let out a small and quiet laugh as he walked over, making sure to be quiet as he gently lifted you from the couch and gathered you in his arms so you were sitting on his lap with your head resting against the curve of his neck. You let out a small groan of protest as your eyes fluttered open slightly. 

“Gwi-nam?” You whispered out in confusion and tried to lift your head but he just gently pushed you back into his chest which you followed without any more complaint. “Where’d you go?” You asked, your words mumbling together and he cursed himself for you waking up while he was absent. 

“I just had to deal with some things, but I’m back now.”

“You should’ve woken me up,” you scolded him lightly while wrapping your arms around his torso. 

“But then you would’ve been awake and I would’ve had to listen to your dumbass scolding me,” he teased lightly and you lightly slapped the back of his arm from where you were holding him. 

“Jerk.”

He smiled softly and leaned his head on top of your own, his cheek pressed to your crown, waiting for you to go back to sleep. He wasn’t satisfied until he heard your breathing even out once more. Lifting his head up, he looked down at you with a soft gaze as you breathed in deep breaths through your nose. Every exhale would softly blow against his neck but he didn't care. He tried to suppress his emotions but couldn’t stop the love bubbling underneath his skin and threatening to escape. He leaned down and pressed a loving kiss to your forehead before leaning his head back onto yours and closing his eyes, trying to get more sleep of his own.