The stranger kept his hands up, mindful of the gun pointed at him, though Wooyoung didn't like the sparkle of his eyes. He seemed too eager to be here, and it persisted even when Wooyoung levered his gun directly at his forehead. His gun arm was used to the motion, tilting to catch the recoil.

In awe, the stranger traced his eyes over Wooyoung's frame.

"Yes, this is exactly what I need. You are perfect," he gasped in marvel. When his hands came down to wring into each other, Wooyoung drew his brows together. San lingered behind him, watchful of the peculiar visitor. Sweat pearled on his forehead as he stared into the muzzle of his gun and the flush to his cheeks was feverish.

"I asked who you are," Wooyoung barked, not up for jokes. For now, no coyotes strayed near, but something told him leaving this fanatic to the fouls wouldn't work. He would probably come back to crawl after them once more. How long had he watched them?

"I'm Jongho," the man whispered, licking the sweat off his lip. "And you are Death. No doubt, it's you."

"You know me?" Wooyoung's voice remained hard, leaving no room for needless dawdling. He met few people in his life, so that handful was easy to remember. This person was a stranger.

San subtly peered at his neck and wrists, tried to tell if the fungus hid beneath his clothing or some other type of craze befell him.

"I do, I do. Lots in the desert do. You shoot like no other. I was hoping to meet your weapon arm one day." As if in reverence, he held out his hands. Wooyoung stepped back with a growl on his lips. His finger twitched around the trigger. Whatever this guy was, he spelled trouble.

A hand met Wooyoung's shoulder and gave it a squeeze as if to ground him. When San stepped around him, Jongho pursed his lips.

"But you are different. I followed you for so long, Death. I wanted to recruit you and your friend, but this isn't him."

"Recruit me?" Wooyoung echoed, not giving away anything about Yunho. In an instant, the greedy shine was back. Shifty eyes flicked left and right as if anyone could overhear their conversation.

"I plan for a marvelous expedition, but I need able mercenaries by my side. Unfathomable pay awaits you. I watched you for many weeks. Saw your skill and your compassion. When you had mercy on that family despite having nothing yourself, well... I was convinced. As for this one..." He studied San like an extra object of loot, contemplating his worth. "He can fight. I could take him along if you want me to."

"The fuck? No one says we're going with you, weirdo," Wooyoung gritted, but his grip eased. He was stunned that he had been followed for so long without taking notice. Though alarming, this guy didn't attempt anything.

"Oh, but you will want to!" Jongho insisted. "You will have a purpose and I will pay you anything you demand if we succeed. Which we will, with you by my side, I am sure! You know how to shoot, yes, you do," he babbled to himself. He looked young for a madman, perhaps a mechanic? The tools on his belt were meant to tinker with. He also carried a few odd inventions that might have been weapons, but he drew none of them.

"We don't work with others. This team will disperse soon," San clarified, declining the deal as well. Both of them had something else planned.

But Jongho was persistent. He shuffled closer, wide eyes expressive with madness over something only he could see.

"I have the cure," he whispered, casting another glance into the empty desert. "I can fix everything. The sky, the water, everything. If you help me, you will live as the richest men on earth. You will never hunger again because you saved humanity!"

Wooyoung stared at him for a long minute. Then he jammed his gun into his holster and picked up his duffle.

"Let's go, San. It's not far until the trader now."

He rounded Jongho, and the other whirled around.

"Wait! Hear me out!"

Wooyoung didn't look back. He stomped ahead, and San scooted along. Neither of them listened to the calls of the swindler behind them. Whatever his true goal was, his excuse was much too fantastical to hear him out. No single person could fix the world.

Though they pondered in equal confusion about this person, they didn't mention him anymore. Wooyoung supposed he suffered some head damage and now struggled to find his way into a group. Either way, they weren't the ones. Someone else would have pity on him.

After a while of silent wandering, they forgot about him. He still followed them in the distance, but he would give up soon now that he got a proper refusal. Wooyoung didn't have the heart to shoot an innocent person, no matter how unlikely they seemed to survive. Anyone deserved a chance out here.

San filled the last stretch of their journey with conversation.

"He knew about Yunho and you, so you must have made a name for yourselves."

"It happens with time," Wooyoung hummed, thrown back. He wouldn't say it was a better period of his life, but Yunho made everything better. With his laughter, with his hugs, with his words of solace that they would make it somewhere peaceful one day. He dreamed of finding an abandoned house, safe from any fouls. They wanted to move in together and harvest their own food, never having to worry about anything again. They imagined harnessing a nearby water orb and gathering its precious contents to drink and wash with.

Wooyoung never dared to dream of a future. He lived day by day, praying to see the next morning. But with Yunho, he wanted to dream. They dreamed together.

"We grew up in the same village, though we met later. By the time my parents died of famine, he and I promised to move on and find shelter somewhere. We went through thick and thin together." The memories made Wooyoung smile. How foolish they had been to stir up the birds or wild animals to get some food. How bright Yunho's smile was when he emerged victorious, though scratches marred his face.

How sweet his lips tasted when Wooyoung kissed him in praise.

"I owe him my life, more times than I can count. The same goes the other way around. It's how I know he made it this time, as well. Yunho always makes the miracles work," Wooyoung muttered. San kept his gaze ahead, scanning the growing dunes that cradled the location of the trader.

"How did you become lovers?"

Chuckling at the memory, Wooyoung looked at his feet, tracing a trail through the sand.

"We often discussed what we wanted in life. Who we wanted. Someone to adore and cherish us, yet also someone to lean on and trust when things got hard. After meeting many potential matches, we understood there is no such thing as an ideal person in this world. You take what you can get or you take nothing. That's how we noticed nothing better would ever happen to us than each other. We both wanted to experience love, so we tried it out and it worked."

San's voice softened with understanding. Though Wooyoung was foolish and dreamy about his love, it was what they worked hard for. They wanted to give each other that happiness in an otherwise bleak world. Wanted to make it as beautiful as it could be. Few got that privilege.

"The first time I kissed him, he just came back from a hunt. The damn fox fought him tooth and nail and I feared he would lose an eye, but he smiled so proudly. I wasn't feeling well at the time so he was so happy to provide for me. At the time, we had decided to be lovers a while ago, but we were too shy to do anything. I knew that moment I had to kiss him, so I did," Wooyoung continued. Now that he was in the flow, he didn't want to stop talking. He wanted to swoon about Yunho, wanted the world to know how perfect he was. How happy he made Wooyoung.

San chuckled throatily. His fingers played with the loose end of his bandage.

"You kissed him?"

"I had to. He was too pretty to resist. He's the shier of us two so if I didn't, who knows if we ever would have made any progress," Wooyoung snickered.

"Cute," San breathed. "Though I was sure you were the one who would need to get snatched."

The comment flew past Wooyoung's head. He was too busy giggling about Yunho and his frazzled expression when they pulled apart from their clumsy first kiss. They got so much better at it since then.

"We are an unbeatable team, but we also shared a love few ever get to experience. Becoming lovers on the side of being best friends was the best that could ever happen to us," Wooyoung finished with a grin. He forgot about his earlier gloom, carrying himself tall and proud with his mirth. San observed him from his side silently. Wooyoung's shine suited him. It was radiant and reminded those who witnessed it that some beauty remained in this broken world.

"You found contentment in each other. That much is always worth the risk. And even that madman could see it," San hummed. He didn't say it, but their minds returned to reality at the same time.

Now, Yunho was gone. Buried in the sand. No more smiles, no more kisses.

Wooyoung's head drooped between his shoulders. He bit his lip until the sting pulled him from his reverie.

"He's out there," he muttered. "Somewhere. He always made it. That's how we came that far."

It wasn't entirely true and Wooyoung knew it. They came this far because they had each other's backs. No matter the danger, they got each other out.

But this time, Wooyoung wasn't there to get Yunho out. He failed.

Still, San nodded to himself.

"You know him best. You spent so much time together, and even a random stalker could tell you were a powerful team. No wonder he wanted to recruit you."

Though small, a burden lifted from Wooyoung's chest. San knew as well as he that it was a fruitless lie. But as long as he entertained it, Wooyoung could stomach his despair.

He cast a shy glance at the other man. San grinned back under his mask, looking less intimidating despite his leather gear and the many bandages.

"Thank you," Wooyoung accepted shyly. San inclined his head.

"You're welcome."

He didn't feed into Wooyoung's delusions, didn't entertain his dream of reaching the caves, and Yunho would be waiting there for him. But in his silence lay the compassion of one who also cared for his people and wished the best for them, as much as his abilities allowed.

"Do you have someone like that? Someone to love?" Wooyoung asked after a long pause. He had rambled more than he wanted and was embarrassed about it, but San was nonchalant about the information. It didn't matter to him as it did to the weirdo creeping after him. Perhaps Wooyoung should have shot him, after all.

"Only my family and friends I wish to protect. I hope to see them smile if I find food and shelter, but I am nowhere as intimate with a single person. The fungus classically keeps everyone at bay," he grimaced. There was a deeper insecurity behind it, despite its convenience. Though belonging to either group, he also belonged to neither.

Wooyoung shook his head.

"You're handsome," he protested. Though the fungus was eerie and latched onto San's skin, it didn't disfigure his initial beauty. They were rare, peculiar scars, but no more than scars like they all bore them.

Perhaps he sounded too offended, because San threw him a funny look. Wooyoung defended his stance with fluttering hands.

"You know what I mean. There is no need to be afraid of you. I'd know. I touched you and I'm not infected," he boasted, suddenly feeling hot under that gaze.

San's eyes twinkled. He looked ahead again, to the nearing rock formation where they last saw the trader. If he moved on, they could trail his footprints.

"Thank you," San said and though Wooyoung couldn't see his smile, he knew that dimple was hiding below the bandages. Wooyoung was as if captivated by it.

Blushing, he cast his gaze away.