The air in the hidden base was still thick with the unsaid things from the night before, a heavy blanket of exhaustion and unresolved anger. They slept with the sole fact hanging in the air--- they couldn't even exert their rage or cry their hearts out without the fear of the zombies breaking down the doors with their evolving strengths. The first faint light of dawn was just starting to filter through the cracks in the high window, painting everything in shades of grim blue and grey.

Eunhye was the first to move, her body aching from a night spent on hard ground, her mind racing too fast for any real sleep.

She shuffled over to the Jeep parked at the corner of the base, the cool metal of the door handle a shock against her skin. Leaning inside, she rummaged through a bag until her fingers closed around a half-empty water bottle. She unscrewed the cap and drank greedily, the water doing little to wash away the bitter taste of fear. Lord save they raided the store for water, and the hospital provided them some supplies.

“Wow. A thirsty demon~”

The voice came from right behind her. Eunhye yelped, her feet tangling beneath her as she spun around. She pitched forward, bracing for the impact with the cold concrete, but it never came. Instead, strong arms caught her. One hand cradled the back of her head, the other steadied her shoulder. She blinked, her eyes focusing on the face inches from hers.

“Sae Joon Hyun!” she hissed, her voice a loud, embarrassed whisper. Her fists were curled against his chest, and she could feel the steady thump of his heartbeat under her palms.

A faint, amused smirk played on his lips. “Are you okay?”

“Why?” she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion and lingering irritation. “Did you hit your head? Are you hurt?”

“No, no. I’m fine,” he reassured her, his grip loosening.

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “...Never creep up behind me like that again,” she muttered, trying to sound stern but failing miserably.

He chuckled, a low, soft sound in the quiet morning. “Haha. This is how we met the first time.”

“That was horrible,” she retorted, her nose scrunching up at the memory of him, the bloodied and terrifying guard, and the narrow escape.

“Why?” he teased, the playful glint in his eyes a stark contrast to the man he’d been then.

“The bloodthirsty guard was behind my life,” she shot back, a mock glare on her face.

“Yeah, true,” he admitted, his smirk softening into something more thoughtful. “Things have changed so much since then.”

“What has changed so much?” she asked, tilting her head.

“You are less timid, for one~” he replied, the grin returning.

“That’s not even funny, Sae Joon Hyun,” Eunhye said, rolling her eyes and giving his arm a light, half-hearted shove.

“It wasn’t supposed to be~” he quipped, easily dodging her second attempt.

She sighed, shaking her head. “Actually, there are a lot of things that have changed.”

“See? My point exactly,” he said, sounding triumphant.

“Like you,” she added, her gaze steady and serious now.

“Me? What’s so different about me?” he asked.

“Hm. You’re friendlier, for one,” she stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Seriously? That’s not funny,” he retorted, mimicking her tone from moments before.

“But you commented on me first, stupid.”

“And? That’s it? You’re so childlike,” he teased.

“Gosh. Shut up,” Eunhye huffed, but a faint blush warmed her cheeks.

The playful air lingered for a moment before Sae Joon Hyun’s expression grew more serious. “Hey…” he began, his voice dropping a little.

“What?” she replied, her own tone shifting to match his.

“Do you trust Jaeyeon a lot?” he asked, his gaze fixed on her.

The question came out of nowhere. Eunhye blinked. “Huh? Where is this going?”

“Just answer the question.”

She paused, considering it. “I guess I do trust him. Why?”

“What about the others? Them as well?” he pressed, now not looking at her.

“Hm, yeah. We’ve got to trust each other, you know,” she said, her voice earnest. “It’s the only way we get through this.”

“Oh. Like that. Then what does that make me? I told them that I'm suspicious of them all,” he muttered, exhaling a heavy sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world.

“Tell me why,” Eunhye pressed, her curiosity now wide awake.

“Nothing, nothing,” he said, shaking his head slightly, a clear dismissal.

But before she could push further, another voice sliced through the quiet of their conversation.

“How long do you both plan on staying and whispering like that?”

They both jumped and turned simultaneously. Yuri stood a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest and a knowing, mischievous smirk plastered on her face.

Eunhye’s eyes widened in horror as she realized their position. She was practically leaning into Sae Joon Hyun, their faces had been close, and they were hidden away by the Jeep. She scrambled backward and up so fast she almost tripped again. Sae Joon Hyun straightened up quickly, one knee proped up, running a hand through his hair.

“What did I just witness? Sheesh,” Yuri scoffed, her smirk widening into a full-blown grin.

“It’s not like that, Seonsangnim!” Eunhye stammered, her own face burning crimson. She nervously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “We were just talking!”

“Hmm, talking,” Yuri drawled, taking a step closer. “What were you both even doing, then? Planning the future? On the floor of the jeep? In that position?”

“Haha... The conversation just began, and I didn’t notice that we were... that we were so close...like that...he just broke my fall...” Eunhye explained, her voice trailing off into a mumble.

“Sure. So you were comfortable~” Yuri teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

“No! That’s not it!” Eunhye protested, her embarrassment boiling over. She grabbed Yuri’s arm and began pushing her, half-laughing, half-mortified, away from the Jeep and a very calm-looking Sae Joon Hyun.

Yuri giggled, allowing herself to be led away. “Alright, alright! I’m going! But this isn’t over!”

Sae Joon Hyun sighed, watching the two women disappear in the other side of the room, their playful bickering fading into the distance. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “How come they forgot about me?” he muttered to the empty air, shaking his head with a faint, exasperated smile.

The sound of Yuri’s giggles and Eunhye’s flustered protests was enough to stir the others. Jaeyeon groaned, rolling over on his thin mat. Next to him, In-Ha’s eyes fluttered open, the dark circles under them a testament to her sleepless night. They exchanged a tired, wordless glance, a silent conversation passing between them before they both sat up.

Within the hour, the entire group was awake, the somber mood from the night before replaced by a nervous, buzzing energy. They stood in a loose, ragged line in front of the Jeep, waiting. It was Eunhye's idea to use the jeep as a changing room so that everyone gets their privacy. They were simply wrapping themselves up in their protective gear designed by Yuri.

It would seem the tension still hung in the air considering not an eye met Yon's except Eugene and Yunha.

Sae Joon Hyun cleared his throat, stepping forward to address them. “We need to talk about how we’re splitting up. I have an idea.”

All eyes turned to him. The playful man from minutes ago was gone, replaced by the focused, strategic leader they had come to rely on.

“What kind of an idea?” Eunhye asked, her voice laced with curiosity as she leaned in.

“Like how Hailey divided us into teams of two, we'll do the same for Jeonju,” Sae Joon Hyun replied, his tone steady.

“One team goes to Jeonju, and the other?” she pressed.

“No, Eunhye-ssi,” Joon Hyun interrupted.

Eunhye blinked. The honorific, so rarely used by him, made her mind stutter to a halt. "Did he just call me Eunhye-ssi? He never does that... what’s going on with him?"

“There will be three teams,” he continued, oblivious to her internal surprise.

“Three?” Yuri repeated from where she leaned against the wall, her earlier teasing replaced by skepticism.

“Yes,” Sae Joon Hyun confirmed, tapping the floor. “One team goes to Jeonju, another to Andong, and the last stays here in Seoul.”

Eunhye tilted her head, frowning. “Why do we even need a team to stay in Seoul? That seems... unnecessary considering we are going to Andong to get rescued.”

“Anything can happen,” Sae Joon Hyun said matter-of-factly. “The team in Seoul can act as a backup. A rescue team, if things go wrong.”

“A rescue team, huh?” Jaeyeon chimed in, folding his arms across his chest, his expression grim.

“Exactly,” Sae Joon Hyun nodded. His voice carried a weight that silenced the group for a moment. He tapped the floor again. “Who will go to Jeonju?”

“It’s a given,” Jaeyeon said, a hint of a resigned sigh escaped his lips. “In-Ha ma'am will go. She has to. But she can’t take the baby.”

The mention of her name made In-Ha glance up from where she’d been staring at the ground. Her lips pressed into a thin, worried line. Her arms instinctively tightened around Kaneisyeon, who was sleeping soundly against her chest. The thought of separation was a physical pain in her heart.

“Yon will go with her,” Sae Joon Hyun continued, his voice leaving no room for argument. No one even looked at Yon at the mention of his name. “Let’s include myself and—”

“Me too!” Eunhye interrupted, raising her hand eagerly, stepping forward.

Sae Joon Hyun hesitated, glancing her way with a flicker of concern. “But—”

“I… I want to be part of this team,” Eunhye insisted, her voice trembling slightly but firm with resolve. “Please?”

Sae Joon Hyun studied her for a long moment, his eyes searching hers. Finally, he gave a reluctant, single nod. “S-sure.”

Eunhye’s face broke into a relieved beam. “Yay~!”

“And the team to Andong?” Jaeyeon prompted, moving the conversation along.

“Jay, Ji-Hoon, Charyeong, Minji, and Young,” Sae Joon Hyun listed, his finger tracing the floor as if a map of South Korea was marked right there.

“Oh, so the rest of us will stay back...” Eunhye muttered, nodding slowly as she processed the plan.

“Yeah,” Sae Joon Hyun confirmed, his gaze sweeping over the group. “Does that work for everyone?”

A low murmur of agreement rippled through them, but the decision felt heavy, final. In-Ha remained silent, her gaze locked on her daughter. Her fingers clenched in the fabric of the baby’s blanket. Just as she opened her mouth, a protest forming on her lips, Jeha spoke up.

His voice was calm but firm, cutting through her rising panic. “Shall I take care of Kaneisyeon?”

In-Ha didn’t respond immediately. Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She bit her lip hard, staring down at the floor as if they held an answer.

Jeha snapped his fingers gently in front of her face. “Hello? Ma'am? Shall I take care of her for you?” he repeated, his tone softer this time.

“Pardon?” she managed to whisper, her voice thick with emotion.

“You’ll have to go to Jeonju with the team,” Jeha said, his voice gentle but unwavering. “You will go, right?”

In-Ha hesitated, her heart a warzone of maternal instinct and crushing duty. “...I…”

“Ma’am, we need you,” Jeha pressed, his gaze intense. “We need you to solve this. You’re the only one who can. As a scientist, as our research anchor.”

“No, Jeha,” she protested weakly, shaking her head. “I can’t leave my child alone—I can’t—”

“Kaneisyeon shouldn’t grow up alongside zombies,” Jeha interjected, his voice gaining a hard edge. “She doesn’t deserve that. None of us do.”

In-Ha swallowed hard, the truth of his words hitting her like a physical blow. “Should I... Do I really have to go?”

“For her sake, at least,” Jeha urged, leaning closer. “Find a cure. Do whatever you can so she doesn’t have to live in this nightmare. So she can have a future.”

“But what about now?” she whispered, her voice breaking. “What about right now?”

“Someone needs to take care of her in your stead,” Jeha said, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I can do that. I will do that. For her.”

In-Ha’s shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of her. It was a horrible, impossible choice. “I guess… you can...” she finally relented, the words tasting like ash. “But you are a child yourself ...” She said then, her protest regaining.

Jeha offered her a small, reassuring smile. “Ma’am, your child… she’s probably the one thing keeping us all moving forward. Giving us a reason. To believe that normalcy is possible. To bring back our world is possible. I might be a high school student. But a little baby can make the world protect her. I’ll make sure nothing happens to her. Absolutely nothing. You have my word.”

In-Ha nodded slowly, her movements robotic. With trembling hands, she carefully transferred the sleeping Kaneisyeon into Jeha’s waiting arms. “Alright, Jeha… this is because I have no choice. But… I’m going to trust you…”

“There, there,” Jeha said, rocking the baby gently. Kaneisyeon, undisturbed, simply sighed in her sleep, her tiny fist curling against Jeha’s shirt.

The somber moment was broken by Sae Joon Hyun. “There’s one more thing we need to keep in mind.” His voice was all business again. “Time. We can’t lose track of time.”

“You’re right,” Eunhye agreed, taking a sip from a water bottle she held.

Sae Joon Hyun’s expression grew deadly serious. “How long has it been since we all came together? Since we started fighting as a group?”

“A week and four days!” Eunhye answered promptly, the number etched into all their minds.

Sae Joon Hyun nodded. “Then that’s what matters. Forget about how long each of us has been in this hell alone. All we need to remember is ‘us.’ This group. That’s the only thing that will keep us moving forward. That’s the only thing that matters now. We'll all definitely survive. We have to.”

“Okay,” the group murmured in unison, the collective agreement weaving a fragile thread of unity between them.