A Meaningful Sacrifice || All of Us Are Dead

7. The Scavenger Hunt

As you can see, I've added titles to the chapters! I realized it's kind of boring to just have numbers and it's also inconsistent with what I normally do, so here we are!

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Unsurprisingly, Eomma takes the lead as she links her arm with Joonyeong's, guiding him through the mess of the kitchen and taking care to avoid the oil spill on the way out. Now that his fear has completely subsided, his stomach feels distinctly slick from the oil that soaked through his shirt, and his hands are sticky from shoving all that raw meat down his throat.

Oh, how he can't wait to take a shower.

He's surprised when he sees Woojin, Daesu, and Suhyeok lined up on the balcony, waiting for them.

"Eomeoni, Joonyeong-ah, are you okay?" Woojin calls to them.

"We are!" Eomma answers, somehow knowing that her son isn't inclined to talk at the moment.

"You're back!" Hyoryung says, making her way forward. "We waited because we didn't feel it was fair to go on without you."

"It also wasn't safe to do so," Onjo adds, joining Hyoryung. "We all have to stick together."

"Thank you for waiting for us," says Eomma as she and Joonyeong begin to head to the elevator. "I'm very happy Joonyeong has such good friends."

When they get to the elevator, Eomma pushes the button, and they wait for the elevator to come down. Then, they step inside, watching as the doors slide shut.

"Joonyeong-ah."

Joonyeong looks up.

"Do you want to push the button?" Eomma asks, wearing a small smile.

Joonyeong can't help but smile in return, for as a little kid, he always loved pushing the buttons in an elevator. Many years ago, as they rode down an elevator on a trip to Singapore, Appa and Eomma realized this and let Joonyeong press the button—the one marked with a star. He was seven at the time. Pushing that little button filled him with so much joy that as they walked around the hawker centers later, he couldn't stop himself running from stand to stand. He only stopped when Appa scooped him up, took him to an ice cream stand, and got him his favorite flavor, chocolate.

Joonyeong's eyes burn as he recalls this memory, knowing he won't be able to reminisce with Appa now.

Stretching his arm, he reaches out and presses the button marked with the number fifteen. Unexpectedly, some of his old joy surfaces as a small smile forms on his features. He really loves pushing elevator buttons.

When they reach the fifteenth floor, they're greeted with a pleasing, heartwarming sight.

"I'll be surprised if you don't become a father someday, Cheongsan ah," Joonyeong comments, his voice hoarse from his earlier shouting.

His friend is sitting against the wall cross-legged, cradling Soowi as she sleeps soundly.

Looking up, Cheongsan says, "Starting from when I was ten, Eomma had me help out around the restaurant. More often than not, I had to watch over the little kids."

"Which explains my point exactly," Joonyeong replies.

"I think you'd be a very good father," Eomma contributes warmly. "Thank you for watching her."

"It's no problem, ahjumma," says Cheongsan with a soft smile. "I'm more than happy to."

"Anyways," Eomma says, beckoning the group to her. "Let's go through the rooms and collect some clothes. Then we can head down and get some toiletries so you all can clean up." Wrinkling her nose, she adds, "Lord knows we all need to." Then, she pulls out the flashlight she retrieved from the kitchen and shines it through the hall.