𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖

🔑

I woke up, rubbing my eyes. Everyone except Chan and Changbin were already awake.

"Morning, young ones," I said, sitting beside the group.

"Morning, pookie," Hae Won smiled, side-hugging me briefly before heading to the kitchen for food.

I felt my cheeks heat up and quickly excused myself. "I'll be right back," I said, heading to the bathroom. Cute. So cute. So cuteeee.

When I returned, the boys were fussing over a drawing.

"Cool drawing. Who's the artist among us?" I asked, sitting beside Hyunjin.

"M-me..." he whispered.

"Wow. Didn't know ferrets could draw, let alone create a masterpiece like this," I joked.

He rolled his eyes, huffed, then joined Hae Won in the kitchen.

𝐇𝐀𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐍

🖇️

"Morning, sleepyheads," I said, handing out food to everyone as they gathered around the table.

Hyunjin walked in, still blushing from Lee Know's compliment. I handed him a plate and smiled. "Eat up, Hyunjin. You need your strength for patrol."

He nodded, taking the plate. "Thanks, Hae Won."

𝐉𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍

🩹

I watched as everyone settled down for breakfast. The atmosphere was relaxed, a rare moment of calm in our chaotic lives. "So, what's the plan for today?" I asked, looking at Chan as he finally joined us.

Chan rubbed his eyes and stretched. "We'll do our usual patrols and look for more supplies. Same groups as last time, but Lee Know will join Felix and Bin."

Felix shot a wary glance at Lee Know but didn't say anything. I noticed and gave him a reassuring pat on the back. "We'll be fine, Felix. Just stick together."

𝐋𝐄𝐄 𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖

🔑

Felix didn't talk once. Not once. I think he hates me. Well, shooting his friend was not the best way to earn his trust, I know. But can he give me a chance? I'll try better. I promise. I will take special care of the maknaes and everyone else. I can help with scavenging. I can defend the group an-

I felt my eyes tearing up. Just one chance, I swear I won't mess it up. Please, just one, please, please.

Silent tears rolled down my face. I need to be strong. No tears.

"Hey, we should go east. I can see from here north is full of zombies," Felix said, breaking my internal silence.

I quickly wiped my tears and looked down to hide my puffy red eyes. "Yeah, yeah, let's go," I replied quickly and started walking in the indicated direction.

𝐉𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍

🩹

We walked silently, avoiding places crowded with zombies. 

I stoped abruptly, confusing the small girl beside me. 

"What is it, Innie?" she asked, concerned.

"This house. It looks like it was abandoned before the apocalypse. I have a feeling about it..."

Hae Won and I exchanged looks. "Should we go in?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"Uh, yeah, we should. There could be a survivor there," I nodded, not really sure though.

We stepped inside, each step creaking on the floor, the noise scratching the creepy silence.

We heard a very low-pitched cry, like a painful whisper.

"Hello? Is someone here?" Hae Won said, her voice loud but soft.

"Uh... hi," said a small voice.

"Hi!" we said in unison.

"Are you a group? Is there more of you?" he asked, scared, like his heart was in pain.

"No, don't worry, just two of us. We are a group of 8 back at our shelter," Hae Won said sweetly.

"Can you help me?" he asked hurtfully.

"Sure, tell us where you are," I replied, careful with my words.

"3rd room by the left, 2nd floor," he said cautiously.

We walked up the once-clean stairs, now blood-splattered all around it. Each step made a horrifying scratching sound.

As we entered the room, a shadowy figure appeared beside the wardrobe.

"Hi! Are you hurt?" Hae Won asked, cautious but smiling, to calm him.

"Uh, yeah. My leg is h-hurt," he said, pain evident in his voice.

"Did a zombie bite you?" Hae Won asked, her expression turning into worry.

"N-no, the w-window fell on i-it," he said with difficulty, clearly in pain.

The shadows slowly slipped away, showing us his appearance.

"Wow," Hae Won said.

He was definitely very cute. Chubby cheeks, light brown hair, dark eyes.

He blushed and scratched the back of his head.

"Come on, we'll get you to our shelter, and we'll take care of you, and you'll be part of the group," I said, helping him to his feet.

As we moved, we saw a zombie just outside the window, causing Hae Won to stumble backward.

"Ah! Woah!" she gasped.

"Hae Won!"

She fell onto the loose door in the living room, which crashed into the window, shattering it. Everything collapsed on top of her.

"Crap," I muttered, gently setting the boy down.

"Hae Won!" I exclaimed, rushing to remove the broken window frame that had fallen on her.

Tears streamed down her face, more from shock than pain.

"W-what? Where are you hurt?" I asked, panic rising.

She pulled her leg from under the door, revealing a deep wound where a shard of glass had embedded itself in her flesh.

"Oh, no," I muttered, the sight of the injury sending a chill through me.

"We need to get out of here. Now," I said, hoisting the boy back up and looking around for a safe path.

In the distance, I saw Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Chan turning a corner.

I waved frantically, trying to catch their attention without making too much noise.

𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐍𝐆𝐌𝐈𝐍

🎈

We were rounding a corner when I noticed someone waving at us.

"Hey, guys! It's Jeongin," I said, pointing ahead.

"What's he doing here? And who's that boy with him?" Hyunjin asked, skepticism in his voice.

"Let's go find out," I said, leading the way to the darkened house.

"Hey, Jeongin, what's going on?" I asked. He looked anxious, on the verge of panic.

"Me and Hae Won found this kid, but she broke a window... and it fell on her." Tears welled up in his eyes, his voice trembling.

"Where is she, Innie?" Hyunjin asked gently, sensing the younger boy's fear.

"Inside," he pointed, his voice barely a whisper.

We hurried in, and there she was—a bloody, crying mess with a large shard of glass piercing her leg.

𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐍𝐉𝐈𝐍

🍣

My heart nearly stopped at the sight of her.

"H-Hyunjinnie, i-it h-hurts," she sobbed.

"I know, baby, I know. We're going to get you back to our shelter and fix you up, okay?"

She nodded weakly, and I carefully lifted her into my arms.

Seungmin carried the new boy, while Chan stayed close to Jeongin, who refused to leave Hae Won's side.

When we reached the shelter, Changbin, Felix, and Lee Know were already there.

"What the hell happened?" Changbin asked, eyes wide with concern.

"Accidents. Help me," I said shortly, laying the trembling girl on the sofa.

She just cried harder, clutching my hand.

"Wonnie, I'm going to pull the glass out now, okay?" Changbin said, his voice steady.

"O-okay," she nodded, squeezing my hand tighter.

He pulled the glass out in one swift motion.

She put her hand on her mouth, holding in her scream, the pain overwhelming her as tears streamed down her face.

Changbin quickly applied disinfectant and wrapped her leg in bandages, working swiftly to stop the bleeding.

The boy we had rescued sat beside her, while Chan checked him for any injuries.

I was curious of why the boy wasn't crying, since his injury was almost as deep as Haewon's, HE said it was because he was hurt since the start of the apocalypse, so he got used to the pain.

Jeongin immediately rushed to Hae Won's side, holding her close as she cried into his chest, soaking his shirt with tears.

"Hae Won, you need to rest now. You too, newbie," I said, helping them to their beds.

"New sleeping arrangements are Seungmin and Felix, Jeongin and Hae Won, and Lee Know with the new boy," I announced.

"We're keeping him?" Seungmin asked.

"We're not keeping him—he's not an object. He can stay if he wants," Felix retorted.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, good night. Shout if you need anything," Changbin said, pulling Chan towards their room.

I entered our room. Felix was organizing some newly found supplies, Seungmin was sprawled across the bed, and the new boy was sound asleep at the edge of his bed, facing Hae Won, who was lying on the edge of hers. Their hands hung off the sides, almost touching. Jeongin was curled protectively around Hae Won, already fast asleep.