𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋 | 𝑨𝑶𝑼𝑨𝑫

26 | Speculations

They carry on with their discussion still in a hushed tone, avoiding the others to hear.

"Do you think those eyes of hers would come back to how it used to be now that her best friend is.... Dead?" That question made Su-hyeok stop dead in his tracks, afraid that what his friend said is true and also, to the fact that he would miss it more in the future because of what happened to the girl.

Dae-su continues, "You know, ever since, I came to realize that the feeling of a lift in my mood was sometimes because of her when she makes us laugh. Her smile that reaches her ears and I like her eyes, too," he stretched his arms to give the guy a back pat that has a little physical roughness to it, "But don't worry, I won't steal her from you, Bare-su-ah. She's just a great, humorous friend."

"I don't know. But I hope it does, I mean... I'd like to see the Jae-won I know everyday but," Su-hyeok felt his mood went downhill from the thought, "....I understand I wouldn't be able to see what I seek because that's what she feels, we can't tell her what she should and should not feel just to make us happy. But I want to do everything I can to make her feel better."

Unknown to them, someone heard everything clearly they had said. However, it's not just from the two boys creating a sound she can hear.
The heavy breathings, drumming fingers, ticking of tongue, and the little gossip from the others in the room, too, even though she's a few feet away from them in the other corner of the room, having a talk to her cousin.

Confusion grew bigger within her by how possible it can be. Is she amazed? Is she scared?

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"Jae-won...." He sighed, getting the attention from the girl, "I don't know if I could ask this without making you feel upset."

"Then, don't ask her," Su-hyeok said.

"Go on, Gyeong-su. It's not like what's happening right now is not making me feel upset in the first place," the said girl sitting on one of the chairs with them insisted, "Ask. I wouldn't mind now, after everything."

"What happened to you and.... Si-Mi?" Gyeong-su trailed off, "One more thing, how come you didn't––"

"Turned?" She chuckled with a snort, "Beats me. But I didn't really care."

She unintentionally shuts the boy off, nonetheless, it made that statement stop him from pushing further this topic.

"Gwi-nam. What did Gwi-nam do? Was that his doings?" The other taller lad referred to the wound she had earlier.

"Gwi-nam?" Cheong-san asked.

He nodded, "Yes, we saw him out there on the way here, I fought him."

"And he bit her?" Cheong-san's change of moods was confusing the others but they couldn't help but be curious too.

"What? No. He didn't," the 'her' Cheong-san was referring to now spoke up.

"Why would he bite her?" Su-hyeok leans closer with his elbows on his knees, furrowing eyebrows, "We fought while he was holding a knife."

"A knife? Is it possible for a zombie to have a weapon?"

"What the heck, Cheong-san? Gwi-nam... a zombie?" Jae-won widen her eyes before starting with her sarcasm, "Whoa, really? That's some deadass smart zombie, then."

He tsked, "It's true! We had a fight earlier too when I got separated with Su-hyeok. I watched him with my two eyes getting bit by multiple zombies."

"But why doesn't he seemed infected? We even had a fist fight. You think a zombie would do that? Plus, when I was being tackled by a zombie...." Su-hyeok enunciated, "he killed it with his knife. That is why I speculated he used his knife to Jae-won which had a zombie blood on it when I saw her bleeding, also because he was sitting facing her. I got so furious thinking he infected her."

No, I got scared thinking he infected her. I thought she'd turn. But I was more scared to leave her there. Su-hyeok thought, keeping that thought only to himself.

"No, she did. It was her who bit me," her voice cracked.

"Who did?" Asked Gyeong-su.

"Si-Mi," they didn't expected the name they knew that was very close and valuable to Jae-won and stared at her with a shocked expression, some with concern.

She was spacing out, aware but not really minding their questioning looks. Her vision starting to get clouded by tears before it completely escaped, however, her body went numb due to the ache she's feeling emotionally.

"I know. She was bit. But I just... I just can't let her go, I didn't even feel a hint of fear. I was left broken instead," She added.

"Won, I understand but you should've run. You silly," he kneel down infront of her to wipe her tears silently falling down, with an affiliative smile to communicate positive social motives. Making her mood feel better even in the slightest.

"Right. But you did the same thing when I told you to run and you didn't. You're just as foolish as me," she sniffles with a chuckle making their friends snigger at Su-hyeok.

Howbeit, that little moment they're having had to be ruined in a blink of an eye without even making it last for a minute of two.

"She's still infected. Turned or not. She still has some zombie blood in her. You saw how her body reacted the same way as the others before turning. What if she suddenly attacked us?"

"Ji-min, that's enough. I thought we're done with this?"

"Ms. Park, this isn't right," Ji-min objects while Hyo-ryeong mumbles some words to her ear, holding her arm in attempt to stop her.

"Then, what do you want us to do? Hurt her?" Wu-jin irritatedly said ruffling his own hair aggressively.

"It's fine. I can't stand being in here longer anyways. I can't bear seeing that face any more, you've got no idea how much resistance I'm doing to not wipe that face off completely till you bleed to death," she death glared that specific particular individual in the room before walking off towards the door.