gonna be fine | so junghwan

nineteen

| Z+1 — THE SCHOOL'S COURTYARD |

Lee Soojin ran as fast as her feet could take her, pushing through the crowd of zombies as she tried to find her mother among them.

"Mom!" She yelled, looking around her. "Mom! Where are you?"

The brunette's tears didn't help as she tried to navigate herself with her blurry vision. She screamed over and over, a complete mess, as she cried her eyes out.

"What am I gonna do without you, Mom?" She wiped away her tears, walking towards the nearest zombie. "I can't live like this. Not without you."

Not thinking straight, Soojin grabbed the zombie by the collar, provoking him to bite her.

"Goddamit, just bite me! Make me a zombie! Don't let me live like this!" She yelled, frustrated, when she got no reaction from the zombie.

She fell to the ground, crying hard. Soojin repeatedly punched the grass as she realized the state she was stuck in.

She wasn't human, nor was she a zombie. She was just stuck in the middle; a hambie. But honestly, what good was being a hambie?

"Lee Soojin!" The female raised her head upon hearing her name. "You fucking stupid idiot!"

Before she could process what was happening, Soojin was pulled to her feet, getting dragged away as the zombies ran after her and her mystery savior.

The brunette looked confused as she saw Nayeon by her side, feeling a sense of déjà vu dawn on her as she ran alongside her classmate.

"I can't believe you, Soojin!" Nayeon scolded her as they ran through the woods. "Also, why the fuck do we have a jungle in our school?!"

"Nayeon, I–"

"Save it. We'll talk when we get to the others. They should be around here."

The girls ran in the dark, not sure where they were going — they just wanted to get out onto the open ground again.

Just as the gymnasium came within their sights, the teenagers ran faster, seeing the others run inside to get to safety.

"Ah!" Soojin heard Nayeon's scream before she saw her, feeling herself being pulled down as well. "Soojin!"

Lee Nayeon fell into the lake amidst their hurry, unintentionally dragging the younger with her as they held hands.

Before she hit the water, Soojin felt someone wrap their arms around her. "I got you!" A familiar voice yelled, grabbing the younger with ease.

Lee Cheongsan held his sister in his arms, his eyes bloodshot with unshed tears as he looked at her. "I'm gonna deal with you later," he uttered, rushing towards the female in the water.

Nayeon grunted as she tried moving, realizing she was stuck. "Cheongsan, my foot's stuck. I can't get it out!" She informed the younger male, who tried his best to help her.

"Remove your shoe! It's wedged between the rocks." He instructed, struggling to release the elder before it was too late.

Lee Soojin watched with wide eyes as zombies surrounded them, drawn to the splashing sounds. She froze as she felt her flight-or-fight instincts leave her, rendering her helpless as she looked at her brother and her classmate.

"Go without me. I can't get out." Nayeon shook her head, tears pooling in her eyes. "Take Soojin and leave, Cheongsan. Go!"

"No! We are not leaving without you!"

"I can't move, you fucking idiot! Go without me! Save yourselves!"

Cheongsan felt helpless, realizing he wouldn't be able to help his classmate in time to save her. He pulled Nayeon into his arms, giving her a tight hug before he let go, a miserable smile on his face.

Soojin had no time to process anything as her brother dragged her away, her gaze fixated on the way Nayeon continued to smile at her even as the zombies bit her.

She felt her insides churn, the realization settling in. I killed Nayeon, she thought, crying silently as Cheongsan made their way to safety.

All the teenagers somehow congregated outside the gymnasium despite taking different paths, quickly making their way inside.

So Junghwan sighed upon seeing the Lee twins, relieved to see them both alive. But seeing the silent tears fall down their faces, he wondered what had gone wrong.

Was Soojin okay? Was Cheongsan okay? Why were they crying?

There was no time to ask questions as a flash of lightning lit up the basketball court, revealing the zombies that were roaming around the room. Everyone dispersed during the commotion, most of them managing to run inside the supply closet.

Lee Suhyeok made sure to drag the twins along with his girlfriend when he ran inside, seeing as the Lee twins seemed out of it. He exchanged glances with Junghwan, noting the worried look on his face as well.

"Jinnie." Junghwan approached the younger as soon as they locked the door behind them. "Are you okay? What happened? Cheongsan?"

"Oppa." Soojin held onto her brother's sleeve, her tears never stopping. "N-Nayeon is s-still out there. We m-must–"

"Because of you." Cheongsan looked at his sister with a blank expression. "The zombies got to her because she went after you. You killed her, Lee Soojin."

The students froze upon hearing the male's monotonous voice, not knowing what to say or do to intervene between the twins.

"Cheongsan, don't say that." Suhyeok walked over to them. "You are just overwhelmed. Don't say things you don't mean."

The brunet scoffed. "She killed Nayeon. And she killed Mom too." Soojin's breathing quickened at her brother's words. "Mom always adored you. She probably came to check on you and got turned into that ..." Cheongsan trailed off, tearing up.

"Oppa, no." Soojin shook her head. "P-Please don't say that. I don't know why M-Mom came or–"

No one expected what happened next.

Lee Cheongsan raised his hand, bringing it into contact with his sister's cheek with such harshness that the sound echoed in the supply closet that went silent at the action.

"Cheongsan!" His friends called out in unison, not having expected his reaction — not even in a million years.

Soojin gasped quietly at the gesture, freezing her in place. "Sannie." Her voice came out as a whisper, bracing for impact as she saw him raise his hand once again.

Before Cheongsan could slap his sister again, Nam Onjo pushed him roughly, taking him by surprise. "That's enough!" She sternly ordered.

"Onjo–"

"Don't say another word, Cheongsan." Onjo shook her head. "I understand you went through a lot, but that is no way to treat anyone — let alone your sister — after she went through so much."

Onjo held her friend as they walked away, finding a corner behind the basketball rack to hide away from everyone else. Soojin appreciated the gesture, not letting go of the younger's hand, even after they sat down.

Junghwan and Suhyeok felt their hearts break, watching the way Soojin quietly sobbed in Onjo's embrace as she finally let out everything she had bottled.

Cheongsan should've been the one to hold his sister like that. They need each other the most right now.

Suhyeok nudged Junghwan, nodding his head toward their friend. Cheongsan seemed to be in a similar situation, hugging his knees in the corner as he cried.

The students felt the tense energy as they looked between the Lee twins, who sat at the opposite corners of the supply closet, wondering what they could do to help them out.

Because after everything that happened to them, the twins needed each other — now more than ever — and Cheongsan's anger wasn't going to help them at all.