Hae Won sat on her couch, lost in the melodies streaming through her headphones while attempting to tackle her math homework.

"Sweety, I'm off to work. There's pizza in the fridge. Bye," her mom called out, grabbing her handbag and planting a quick kiss on Hae Won's forehead before heading out the door.

Nodding in acknowledgment, Hae Won waved as her mom left.

𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖-𝕝𝕒𝕡𝕤𝕖

It was 11:34. Hae Won stood in the kitchen, sipping on lemonade.

Suddenly, the television blared, interrupting the quiet of the room.

"Urgent alert to Seoul Journal viewers! Catastrophe strikes as the United States government's attempt to develop a universal cure has unleashed a zombie apocalypse! The contagion is spreading rapidly worldwide, including our very own streets of Seoul! Take immediate action to ensure your safety!"

Hae Won bolted to the living room. It was real. Images of chaos flooded the screen, depicting the streets of Seoul overrun with bodies and chaos, people screaming and fleeing from the relentless advance of zombies. Hae Won's eyes welled up with tears as the gravity of the situation sunk in. Hastily, she raced to her room, grabbed her backpack, and stuffed it with essentials: clothes, toothbrush, hairbrush, iPhone, charger. She hurried downstairs, snatching up two bottles of water, some food, a pocket knife, and a flashlight. With her bag packed and coat in hand, she prepared to leave.

But before she could escape, the zombies broke in. With adrenaline pumping and tears streaming down her face, Hae Won burst out of the door, running down the streets in a blind panic.

𝐇𝐀𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐍

🖇️

I ran through the streets of Seoul, my heart pounding with fear. Tears blurred my vision as I raced forward, my breaths ragged and uneven. Suddenly, everything started to spin, and I felt myself growing weak. As darkness threatened to consume me, I saw a figure approaching.

"Hey, are you okay? Girl? Do you need help?" a voice called out.

I wanted to respond, but my body refused to cooperate.

And then, everything faded to black.

𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐈𝐍

🎈

Chaos around me, I ran from school, seeking refuge wherever I could find it. Alongside Changbin, a classmate. We found shelter in a nearby building. Inside, we encountered two other survivors: a blond boy with freckles, named Felix and an older boy named Bangchan. After a brief exchange, they said we could stay if we helped, and we agreed.

Felix instructed me to scavenge for food while he and Changbin gathered resources. When out, I stumbled upon a girl walking unsteadily in my direction. Sensing her distress, I reached out to offer help.

"Hey, are you okay? Girl? Do you need help?" I called out.

But before she could respond, she collapsed in my arms.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, catching her before she hit the ground. I carried her back to our shelter, to see if Bangchan could help.

𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍

🥨

Alone in the shelter, I busied myself with organizing our meager supplies when I heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, Bangchan!" Seungmin called out as he entered the room.

"Can you help me here?" he asked, his voice laced with urgency.

Without hesitation, I joined him downstairs, where I found him cradling a girl in his arms.

"Who's that?" I inquired, attempting to brush the hair from her face.

"I found her while scavenging for food. She fainted, so I brought her here," Seungmin explained as we carefully laid her on the couch.

As we sat in silence, a sense of unease settled over us, heightened by the faint sounds emanating from outside.

𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐗

🍪

Returning from our walk, Changbin and I brought back supplies essential for our survival.

"How old are you?" Changbin asked as we entered the shelter.

"18," I replied, setting down my things.

Upstairs, we found Seungmin attending to the girl's needs while Bangchan watched over her protectively.

"Who is she?" Changbin queried, gesturing toward the girl.

"When Seungmin was out, he found her collapsed. We brought her here for safety," Bangchan explained.

"Is she injured?" I inquired, moving closer to get a better look at her face.

"Hah, it seems she simply fainted from the drama. Can you move her hair aside so we can see her face?" Bangchan requested.

As I gently brushed her hair away, revealing her cute features, a sense of awe washed over me. She was adorable, with a face that seemed to radiate innocence and vulnerability.

"Yo, she is so cute," Changbin remarked, his tone slightly teasing.

"Let's focus on keeping her safe," Bangchan chuckled, seeing us so amazed.

𝕥𝕚𝕞𝕖-𝕝𝕒𝕡𝕤𝕖

                                                                           𝐇𝐀𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐍

                                                                                  🖇️

The gentle chirping of birds outside eased the fog in my head, and I gradually regained consciousness. Sitting up, I found myself on a couch inside a building, surrounded by sleeping figures. A boy lay on the ground, using the couch as a makeshift pillow, while another rested on a puff nearby. A strong guy was tinkering with a first aid kit, seemingly unaware of my awakening. And beside me on the couch lay a cute blonde guy with freckles, sound asleep.

"Um, hi," I greeted the  guy tentatively.

"Ah, hey. You're awake. Feeling better?" he inquired.

"Yes, much better. Um, sorry if this sounds rude, but who are you guys, and where am I?" I asked, surveying the scene.

"No worries. I'm Changbin. That's Seungmin," he gestured to the boy on the ground, "and that's Bangchan. And the blonde one is Felix," he explained.

"Seungmin found you while he was out looking for food. You passed out, so he brought you here. We're in a school building in Seoul," he added.

"Oh, I see," I nodded in understanding.

Bangchan stirred and rubbed his eyes, signaling his return to wakefulness.

"Morning, Chan," Changbin greeted.

"Morning," Bangchan yawned before turning his attention to me.

"Hi, good morning. Are you feeling better?" he inquired.

"Yeah, much better," I smiled in response.

"Changbin explained everything to me, including your names. Thanks for letting me stay here for the night," I expressed my gratitude.

"No problem at all. You're welcome to stay with us as long as you like. We're a group of survivors," Bangchan said enthusiastically.

"Great, thank you!" I replied with a sense of relief.

Seungmin stirred awake and greeted us with a smile.

"Morning, new girl. Feeling better already?" he asked cheerfully.

"Yes! Changbin told me your names and everything. Thank you for saving me, Seungmin!" I expressed my gratitude.

"Of course. I'm off to grab something from the kitchen," he announced, heading towards the other room.

Moments later, Felix woke up, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Morning, Felix," Chan and Changbin greeted in unison.

"Morning," Felix muttered.

He glanced at me and gave me a cute sleepy smile.

"Hi, good morning. Are you feeling any better?" he asked.

"Yep, way better!" I replied, returning the smile.

Seungmin returned with cereal bars and water, declaring it breakfast time.

"Breakfast!" he exclaimed, tossing the bars into the center of our circle.

We each grabbed a bar and ate, enjoying the simple meal together. Afterwards, we took turns bathing and changing clothes before discussing what each one would do. 

 ☁️ 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 ☁️

Hi, stays! 

 This is my first fic, so I hope you enjoy it. Please don't be ghost readers – your comments and votes mean the world to me! It's your support that keeps me inspired to write more.  

There will be romance further in the book, but I haven't decided who yet. The romance will develop as I write, so you can ship and swoon along with the characters. ✨