Chapter Text
And so, the soldier Chan Young dutifully took the wheel while the residents boarded into the bus. There, they discovered that the transportʼs exterior might be rusty but the interior was decent and salvageable. Again, Mister Han was right. The engine roared. It even had enough gas loaded in it. With it, they would be in the shelter by night. If, and only if, there would be no more hindrances.
Boarding on, Ji Su instantly saw the vacant seat beside Jae Heon who had settled himself on the right, three rows from the front. But, instead of usually taking the vacant seat, she walked further, bypassed Jae Heon, and settled on the left two rows behind him.
From where she was, Ji Su glued her eyes on the man. He was busy rummaging through his bag, seemingly unaware that the seat beside him would be empty for the rest of the journey. Ji Su remained seated, quietly observing, until a teenager took the vacant seat beside her just a second before the bus moved forward.
Ji Su groaned in the presence of Eun Yu who welcomed herself into the space with a soft thud against the dusty cushion, “Yah, what are you doing here?”
“What do you mean, Eun Yu?” Ji Su irritatedly gritted her teeth, side eyeing the teenager.
“Why did you take this seat instead of the one beside Jae Heon?” But, Ji Su was quiet. Eun Yu went on with her signature smirk, “What? Are you in a loverʼs quarrel or something?”
“Shut up.”
Seeing she would not get any answer from the older woman, Eun Yu merely snorted and rolled her eyes. She turned her head to where Ji Su was looking and saw Jae Heon standing up from his seat to give the boxes in his hands to Yu Ri, who was sitting across from him on the left side of the bus with Mister An.
“Here, Yu Ri,” Jae Heon offered with the gentlest smile. “They are all in good condition. I checked.”
The air that escaped Yu Riʼs lips was of relief. She muttered, “Thank you.”
At that, Jae Heon cast a small smile. Then, quickly, he turned to the old man next to her. He told him with evident determination, “I wasnʼt able to find your prescription, Mister An. But, Iʼll try next time.”
Mister An shook his head, reaching out to pat Jae Heonʼs hand, “It is fine. You donʼt have to.”
“No, sir,” Jae Heon disagreed. “I have to. Iʼll look for them.”
From her seat, Eun Yu scoffed at the scene, “Goodness.” She shook her head and looked away. It appeared the very scene was way too much for her sanity, and even too good, it was weakening her defenses. She snapped her head back to Ji Su after and glared at her, “I donʼt get why youʼre doing this to him.”
Ji Si dismissed her with a simple, “He wants to be alone,” her eyes never leaving the man who had settled back into his seat and now staring through the window.
“No, he doesnʼt,” Eun Yu snorted once again, crossing her arms. “Yep, he often spaces out nowadays, distant even. But, can you blame him, really? Itʼs the fucking apocalypse! Everybodyʼs allowed to space out once in a while —”
Ji Su cut her this time with a hard whisper, “You donʼt understand. It is not like that, Eun Yu.”
“Then, what?” Eun Yu jutted her chin at Ji Su, challenging her.
But, Ji Su couldnʼt tell the younger Lee about the vision, about how disturbing and haunting it was that she needed time to process and evaluate it, and that distance was necessary. Because it had felt like he, Jae Heon himself, wanted her gone, like if she didnʼt step away, he would burn her to hell, and not only her but everyone. Ji Su couldnʼt tell that to Eun Yu and so, she settled with a repeat instead, “He wants to be alone.”
“Youʼre acting like a teenager.”
“And, youʼre a brat.”
“Ugh,” Eun Yu grumbled and looked away. But then, she sighed and her tone became serious and quiet after, “Whateverʼs the fucking reason, donʼt leave him alone with his thoughts.” Ji Su looked at Eun Yu, surprised. The teenagerʼs face was solemn and her eyes were soft as she looked at the residents before them, “Some peopleʼs tendency is to isolate themselves when they are bothered, really bothered, by something. But, the truth is, those are the very times they actually need someone to stay with them, help them get through whatever dilemma they are in.”
For the first time, Ji Su perceived Eun Yu as a matured person. She realized, like everyone else, the cruel world had forced the teenager to think and act way beyond her age. The world had crumbled into pieces and along with it were dreams and well wishes. All that was left was desperation to survive and wisdom from post numerous near death situations. Thus, the old manʼs advice came straight from the teenagerʼs mouth. Ji Su was simply tongue tied.
“Be that person to him,” Eun Yu continued, turning to Ji Su once more. “We all know youʼre the most qualified.”
Ji Su stared. Eun Yu stared back. Ji Su blinked. Eun Yu smirked. Damn it. The brat knew she got her, and was quite proud to have caught her off guard.
Ji Su cleared her throat, “I guess, you know this very well since you do it all the time.”
Eun Yuʼs smile instantly dropped, “What?”
Ji Su smirked, “You know, walking away and distancing yourself like the stubborn teenager that you are?”
Guilty, Eun Yu hissed at her, “Crazy bitch!” Then, she stood up and walked away with heavy feet as if she had wasted her time being the wise one.
When Eun Yu was gone, Ji Su sighed. Eun Yu was a brat but she was right. Only, Ji Su could not admit that audibly. And so, after collecting her bearings, she stood from her seat and carefully strode towards the vacancy beside Jae Heon.
She started, taking the seat along the aisle, “Hey.”
Hearing that, Jae Heon took his eyes off the window and turned to her. He greeted her with a small smile, “Hi.” He watched her settle on the cushion completely, and then asked after, “Howʼs your wound?”
Ji Su pursed her lips. Her newly dressed wounds were still throbbing and burning but, compared to their state earlier that morning, they were less painful, thanks to a certain soldier at the driverʼs seat. She replied, “I am feeling a lot better.” She then asked him back, “You?”
Jae Heonʼs eyes shifted away, like his mind suddenly stepped back and hid from her. His sad smile was all Ji Su received before he returned his attention to the uneven road outside the window. He didn't provide any answer but the undeniable view of his unnaturally healed neck was proof that his physical state was all fine. How? Ji Su refused to know further.
Once more, silence ruled over and Ji Su felt very awkward, she almost fidgeted in her seat. That was until Jae Heon spoke again, his eyes not leaving the window, “I used to take this route everyday.”
Ji Su was grateful for the conversation and followed, “You mean, going to school?”
“Back and forth,” Jae Heon nodded. “Now, this looks so much different. Just…” His lost expression suddenly turned softer, touched with vivid nostalgia. “I didnʼt expect to miss the rush hour, the routine, the ordinary.”
Ji Su agreed to that. It was something she could relate to. Her everyday commute had pissed her off before, going here and there to her gig, squeezing into a tight and noisy crowd, all while carrying her heavy stuff. But, now, it was a memory she wanted to go back to and experience again. Those were the times where the ghostly empty road they were presently taking was filled with a busy population. At least back then, the people were alive. She added a query, leaning towards Jae Heon, “You miss teaching?”
He drew a small smile, “Yeah.”
Curious, she asked him, “To whom did you teach again? I mean, you are good with everyone. Children. Teenagers. Adults. Elders. I canʼt really tell.”
At that, Jae Heon turned to her and politely answered, “I taught Korean Language in high school. My students were around Eun Yu and Hyun Suʼs age.”
“Ah,” she nodded, and then smirked, “must be the reason why you can deal with someone like Eun Yu.”
Said teenager made a noise at the back and yelled, “Yah, I heard that, crazy bitch!” Eun Yu threw a rude middle finger in Ji Suʼs direction. Ji Su, on the other hand, merely threw an identical one without turning her head.
There was a small laughter that burst out in the transport coming from the residents, and it made the atmosphere a bit lighter. Ji Su was glad for it, if anything. But then, when the snickers died down and she focused back on the man beside her, she noticed nothing had been lifted off of him. Jae Heon was as melancholic as when he had risen up from the dead the first time.
“Hey, are you okay?” Ji Su checked, her voice barely above a whisper. But, he heard her just fine.
“Yeah, just…” he tried to draw another smile but it quickly morphed into a sad one, “...Hyun Su.”
Again, he was worried about otherʼs well-being. Typical Jae Heon. Ji Su nodded, “Of course.” Instead of talking about it further, she opted to lift her bandaged burnt hand and settle it above Jae Heonʼs, giving warmth and assurance that, although it seemed unlikely, everything would turn out alright. All of this was exchanged in comfortable silence.
Jae Heon appreciated this. It was all he needed. He smiled at her, wide and genuine this time, “Thank you, Ji Su.”
This, however, was interrupted when Chan Young stopped the bus for a stranger on the road asking for a free lift. A human, for certain, as quickly declared by Jae Heon, which oddly quenched all kinds of protests from some residents. This human — middle aged male — boarded the bus, and from then on, the journey went back to normal silence.
“Aigoo.”
The family lawyerʼs scoff as he scanned the documents in his hands was of mockery and partly disbelief. He was shaking his head but his lips were stretched up mischievously. In the background, the natural light through the window was too bright against the extreme darkness of the room. The whole picture was making Jae Heon feel more nauseous.
The lawyer continued with a sick chuckle, “You now own everything. It was a farfetch call but effective. Iʼll give you that.”
Jae Heon fought against his dizziness and remarked, “You talk as if I planned this.” He could hear his own heartbeats syncing with his vertigo.
The lawyerʼs smile dropped and looked Jae Heon straight in the eye across the paper-filled table, “Didnʼt you?”
Jae Heonʼs whole vision was spinning. He could now taste the bile in his mouth coming up from his throat. He swallowed hard, fought even more to tell the family lawyer, “I never intended for everything to end up this way. I never wanted any of this! I only wanted them to stop!”
“Well,” the lawyer cast a crooked smile once more, “it did make them stop.”
Right after that, Jae Heon vomited a lot on the table, on the papers, on his shirt, and then, on his lap. First seconds, it was bile. Then later, the color darkened and soon turned to metallic blood.
As soon as he finished emptying his gut out, he collapsed on the floor with his face landing right on his vomit. Though unable to move any body part, he was surprisingly conscious. Across the carpeted floor, under the table, he was supposed to see the lawyerʼs legs and his formal shoes. But, instead, he was seeing a girlʼs black ones. Her one limb was bent in a familiar way, equally stained with blood but not his. Then, with a click-clack sound, the feet moved, two tips pointing at him. Another click-clack, and a loud thud —
Right before him, a familiar body collapsed on the same carpeted floor, all broken, and facing him. Her dented face crunched, forming a wicked stretchy smile, mouth foaming with rotting blood.
She said, “Very clever, Teacher Jung.”
Then, black.
Jae Heon woke up with a deep inaudible gasp, heart beating fast, cold sweat running down his forehead. Quickly, he adjusted his senses to his environment, hoping and praying nothing in his wake was anything like his dream. To his great relief, he was still in the bus and not in some kind of confined space. It was night, and the transport had parked on the side of the road.
Through the window, passing Ji Su (they had switched seats earlier), Jae Heon spotted Chan Young and Yeong Su having a little chat outside the bus. Quick in understanding, Jae Heon sighed. The young soldier must have stopped the bus for the kid’s sake. It appeared outside was empty and safe, and so he let it be.
That was when all the hairs at the back of his neck stood up, just like when they did that early afternoon in the tunnel.
Jae Heon was certain there was a monster, not outside, but instead inside the bus, among the sleeping residents. He quickly searched for the source, and was confused that, despite his intense effort, he could not tell for certain which direction it was in the bus. It was almost as if it was everywhere. Then —
“Ah-Ahjussi…” Three rows before the quiet end seats, the recently recovered Su Yeong was already red trying to breathe against Jae Hwan’s death grip around her neck. The man was standing tall, manhandling the kid alone and was seemingly intending to kill her.
Jae Hwan was muttering, “How do I look? Am I not —”
Suddenly, Jae Heon was beside them, “Let go.” His hand was already around the man’s wrist, trying to bend it off, but the grip was inhumanely immovable.
Stiffly, Jae Hwan turned, and Jae Heon saw that his face was already disfigured with boils, eyes were reddish, and then black. It was obvious, he was turning. Jae Hwan seethed at Jae Heon, “Why are you looking at me like that? Are you disgusted? Am I —”
But, Jae Heon’s focus was on the girl. Su Yeong was losing air. He demanded, yelling this time and waking up the residents around in slumber, “I SAID LET GO!”
But, Jae Hwan unheeded and so, Jae Heon did the automatic offense. With all his might, he punched the man’s face, so strong that it made a loud crack. With that, Jae Hwan was forced to let go of the kid, and was subsequently sent to the far end.
The residents screamed at the fight they had awoken to, and quickly stood up to evacuate at once. In the fuzz, Jae Heon supported the thankfully alive, whilst hurt and coughing, Su Yeong to stand on her feet. Then, he asked the worrying Miss Cha to escort the child out of the bus, to which the woman obliged without a word.
While the residents were on the move, from the end seats, Jae Hwan cried out in horror at the damage he had received, “MY FACE!!!” He was weeping like a child and continuously screaming like he was losing his sanity. Then, he rose up from the floor, all joints and limbs were snapping and stretching for another attack.
Seeing that, Jae Heon had no choice but to stay and hold the man up until all residents had evacuated. He instructed, “GO! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” From outside the bus, he could hear Ji Su screaming out his name, telling him to get off as well like the rest of the residents. It appeared she had been successfully pulled out by Eun Yu at the first commotion. Good.
“All good,” was all Jae Heon muttered while preparing his stance — Oh, he didn't have his sword with him.
“YOU’RE DISGUSTED WITH MY FACE?!” The man in monsterization spat at Jae Heon in full hate. Then, he lunged at Jae Heon, sending both of them to the floor. He was so unexpectedly heavy that Jae Heon was unable to push him off him with his mere strength. Then, Jae Hwan squared Jae Heon’s face with his steel hands and forced him to look at his face.
“How do I look? Am I not pretty? LOOK AT ME!” Jae Hwan was grappling Jae Heon’s head so hard like he was trying to break his skull with his bare hands.
Jae Heon tried hard, and then again, but to no avail. Wasn’t he supposed to be possessing inhuman strength by now? Well, there was no time to wonder and contemplate. Jae Heon pushed with all his might, and with a strong heave, he was able to escape Jae Hwan’s grip. After that, he sat up at once to bounce back and fight. However, Jae Hwan was faster, had recovered quickly, and lunged at him for the second time. Using his steel arms, he choked Jae Heon from behind.
Jae Hwan gritted beside Jae Heon’s ear while wringing his neck with a clear intent to snap it, “Why aren't you looking at my face?!”
Every second, Jae Heon could sense his air losing and his blood being trapped in the veins around his neck. Any moment, his neck will snap. Any moment, he would die. But, would he?
Would he not?
As Jae Heon felt his own blood leaking through his tear ducts, he heard Sang Wook from the other end of the bus, “YAH!”
The gangster looked like he only had gotten out of sleep, enduring a terrible headache, and as pale as a ghost. Nevertheless, he was obviously there to save Jae Heon. However, as soon as he took a step towards them, he froze.
Though struggling, Jae Heon voiced out a weak, “Huh?”
Sang Wook looked like he was fighting himself to move but was unable to. Something was wrong with him. Was it one of Jae Hwan’s monsterization skills, freezing people in his vicinity? Somehow, Jae Heon was doubting the possibility. Then, with a grunt, Sang Wook collapsed on the floor.
It turned out, at the moment, the two of them needed saving.
“Boy,” came a voice from the front end of the bus, and it was coming from the middle aged man they had picked up on the road earlier. And, he was holding a shotgun, targeting the turning monster behind Jae Heon. Finger on the trigger, he told Jae Heon, “You better duck for this one.”
Sensing that the man was meaning it, Jae Heon summoned his remaining strength and focused on moving his constricted head. Luckily, he was able to move as soon as the man pulled the trigger, and blew Jae Hwan’s head behind him. At the shot, Jae Heon was freed as Jae Hwan was sent backwards and onto the floor.
Quickly, Jae Heon crawled away on the floor and towards Sang Wook, all while the middle aged man continued shooting at Jae Hwan who, on the other hand, was trying to stand whilst the unceasing gunshots. As soon as Jae Heon reached Sang Wook, the man instructed, “Quick now!”
Jae Hwan was now transforming into a monster, his head turning to a faceless blob of flesh. He was moving forward, despite the bullets he was receiving, both from the stranger’s shotgun and Chan Young’s rifle from outside.
“Shit,” the man with the shotgun cursed as he gave up shooting at the monster, and dragged Jae Heon and Sang Wook out of the resident-free transport.
Together, they boarded off the bus. Jae Heon and Sang Wook straightly joined the awaiting residents outside, while the middle aged man brought out a can of gasoline last minute, threw some onto the monster, and then poured the rest of its contents on the ground, leaving a trail out of the bus.
At a slower pace, the monster also boarded off the bus. It was continuously wailing and complaining about its state. It reached the ground and stopped when it caught sight of its reflection from the pool of gasoline by his feet — A face. The monster had turned completely, its whole body rather, into a wrinkly and disfigured face. Right there and then, the monster broke down and wailed more desperately.
The middle aged man brought out another item from his pocket. A small blow torch, obviously to put the monster in flames with the gasoline he had poured out earlier. But, the monster continued weeping and then, it released a high pitched cry, so loud it broke all the windows of the nearby bus at once. By the shock, the middle aged man froze in pain and dropped the torch, just as the residents covered their ears for protection.
The monster went on and on, its cry turning louder than ever. Soon, it would injure and kill the surrounding residents. It should be stopped. One should do something.
And so, Jae Heon moved despite his eardrums breaking in the process. He took more steps to get the torch from the ground. But, before he could reach the item, someone else from the struggling residents moved, technically ran, and picked it up from the asphalt.
An Gil Seob.
In the midst of the intensifying noise, the old man bravely walked closer, and then subsequently, lit the torch onto the gasoline-soaked ground and up to the monster.
Flames quickly built up. The monster’s high pitched cry turned into desperate wails. It wriggled on the ground, trying to put out the fire with every movement. But, all its attempts failed. After some time, it collapsed on the ground. Later, the monster did not move nor weep anymore. There were no more noises left on the road but the cackling sound of flames continuously burning the remaining flesh.
It was over. Their once neighbor and co-survivor, Ryu Jae Hwan, was now dead before their eyes. Even though he had turned into a monster and had threatened to harm the residents, the fact that he had been one of them and had shared days with them made his death painful and hard to swallow.
“How cruel…”
Suddenly, Jae Heon heard the same voice of a girl, whispering close to him. He immediately checked his surroundings, but there was no one in sight.
“They will do the same to you.”
At that, Jae Heon's heart started pounding in his chest. He could sense the familiar girl appearing somewhere in the darkness behind the trees that was surrounding the road. Surely, he would have another attack. Then —
“Jae Heon.”
Yoon Ji Su. By her voice, he snapped back on earth in an instant. Just like that. He turned to her, and there was great worry plastered on her face.
“Your eyes…”
Jae Heon blinked, “My eyes?”
“They are…” Black? “...bleeding.” For obvious reasons, that was a great relief, way better than the other possibility he had thought of.
Jae Heon ran a hand on his face and there was indeed blood that had leaked from his eyes, and not just his eyes, but also his ears. Seeing that, he replied quite nonchalantly, “I was choked.”
Clearly, that didn't quench Ji Su’s worries, “Are you okay?”
As odd as it was, Jae Heon was completely fine. He wasn't feeling any pain at all. It occurred to him that all his supposed wounds, even the fresh ones, had healed already, perhaps right after the commotion had ended. All that remained were some marks and blood.
“I am —”
“MISTER AN!” The residents bellowed at seeing the old man vomit blood and then collapse on the ground like all his strength had drained out of his system. Right afterwards, the people crowded over him, all worried, with Yu Ri at the front.
The nurse hurriedly checked his pulse and face, and then after a second, tears quickly welled up her eyes. She sobbed hard, “No, please...” She knew and was afraid of what was about to occur.
Mister An weakly assured with a fragile smile, “It’s all right now.”
Yu Ri shook her head and continued sobbing, “Don’t leave, sir. Don’t do this. Don’t let go.”
Yu Ri muttered on and on, but Mister An only watched her with sad eyes. Observing from the side, Jae Heon figured the old man couldn't hear anymore with the damage he had received from getting closer to the monster earlier. This fact only made the scene a lot sadder than it already was.
“Mister An!” Yeong Su cried.
The residents wept along with Yu Ri, “We have come so far. Hold on a little more.”
An Gil Seob had seemingly read that one. He replied, “I am afraid this is it for me. I can’t go on anymore…” He scanned the surrounding residents with his eyes, from Mister Han, to the Kim children, and to Eun Hyuk at the end. “Be well, everyone.” Then, his eyes landed back on the nurse before him, “Be well, my dear. Stay alive.” Yu Ri only wept harder in response as she held his growing cold hands in hers.
There was a brief moment of silence before he closed his eyes to death and said for one last time with a weak smirk, “Told you…”
.
.
.
.
“I'll die a superhero.”