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Ever since the world turned into hell, peace was something that became increasingly rare. In the dead of night, the world used to be covered in a blanket of tranquility. Now, however, the night turned into a period of raging beasts and lost lives— of screams filled with pain and despair like heart wrenching final goodbyes.
The world was cruel, and peace felt like nothing more but a short-lived dream— like the naive and unachievable hope of a child who had yet to know of the world’s brutality. It was as infeasible as it was foolish. Only those who were scatterbrained or stubbornly ignorant would ever believe that such a thing truly existed in this torn and blood-soaked place.
At least, that was what Kim Rok Soo had thought.
He thought that calm was a fleeting memory, fading into inexistence as the world continued to spiral down into madness. There were days when he even thought it was already non-existent. After all, he had lived many years in this apocalyptic hell hole, and not a single moment was there ever quiet.
He could still remember the days when silence was synonymous to peace— when humanity still found comfort in the quietness. Now, though, silence became something to fear. It became something that reminded humans of their inevitable mortality, and reminded them that death was waiting around every corner they took. In a world full of violence, silence was nothing but an eerie stillness. After all, they never knew what could be waiting for them— of what would break the silence. Would the silence be broken by a monster’s growl, or would it be broken by their pained scream? Would they even live for long enough to know how they died?
The silence that the people used to seek now became something they would dread.
Kim Rok Soo, like many others, thought that peace and calm was an unachievable fantasy.
Yet, here he was.
Here he was, laying on the shelter’s rooftop, on a blanket that covered the ground, gaze focused on the twinkling lights above his head. Small, little stars that look like shining jewelry strewn across the sky. The moonlight bathed him in a soft light, soothing his previously tense nerves and quelling the chaotic thoughts that ran rampant inside his head.
He laid next to the two people he trusted the most— Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo. Lee Soo Hyuk was peacefully sleeping to his left, eyes closed and hand loosely intertwined with his own fingers. Meanwhile, Choi Jung Soo was lying next to him to his right, wide awake and watching the stars with him. As the three of them laid in silence, an inexplicable and comforting feeling covered them like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. It was safe, it was secure— it was home.
This… This was the feeling Kim Rok Soo had longed for since the day he became trapped under a pile of fallen debris. This was the feeling he wished for, yet thought to be outrageous.
He thought that peace was something that this world no longer held— yet, the feeling he was experiencing now couldn’t be described as anything other than that word.
Here, at this moment, under the light of a thousand small lights and under the gentle glow of the moon, as he laid next to the only two people he cared about more than anything else in this wretched world, Kim Rok Soo found peace.
It had been a long and tiring day for the three of them. The monsters in the area closest to the shelter had been growing in number, and their team, along with another, were dispatched to take care of the problem before it got too out of hand. Fortunately for them, the monsters themselves weren’t all that threatening— though Lee Soo Hyuk insisted that it was mainly because of Kim Rok Soo’s excellent help in giving them needed information from the rear. The team leader kept saying that without Kim Rok Soo, they’d certainly have a much harder time.
Really, his team leader praised him too much.
Even Choi Jung Soo (that idiot) started joining Lee Soo Hyuk in showering Kim Rok Soo in what Kim Rok Soo saw as nothing but unwarranted praise.
Sure, he was able to provide information and tell them of the weak spots of the monsters— but Kim Rok Soo knew better than anyone else that even without his help, the team would have still been able to kill the monsters under the guidance of Choi Jung Soo and Lee Soo Hyuk.
After all, the two of them were of the strongest ability users in the entirety of Korea— perhaps even the entire world. (That is, if the rest of the world still even exists. It most likely does; humans are persistent, after all.)
Kim Rok Soo was almost certain that even if he wasn’t there to provide them with data, they’d still be able to calculate and find out the weaknesses of the monsters anyway.
In short, Kim Rok Soo felt that there really was no reason to give him compliments and shower him with what he saw as false flattery.
He wasn’t a child.
He knew that, compared to Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo, he was incredibly lacking.
Many people called them “The Soos”, and yet he always felt that he wasn’t deserving of being lumped together with a duo as amazing as the team leader and his right-hand man.
After all, other than sharing one character (수) in their names, they were much too different.
The other two were heroes.
Meanwhile, he was just dead weight.
“What are you thinking about, Rok Soo?” A deep voice laced with a layer of exhaustion said, echoing in Kim Rok Soo’s ears and immediately shattered his train of thought. The black haired man turned his head to the side, peeling away his gaze from the stars, only to be met with eyes that held a light that shined just as brightly as the sun.
Ah…
It seems he had zoned out.
“Are you okay? Do you need anything? Food? Water? Medicine?” The other asked, his expression that of evident worry. He held out a hand and gently placed it on Kim Rok Soo’s forehead, checking to make sure he didn’t have a fever.
“I’m fine, Jung Soo,” Kim Rok Soo said, feeling the hand atop his head pause for a moment before moving to ruffle his soft hair. The action made him grumble, lowering his head. He willed himself to not lean against the warm hand.
Seeing his slightly annoyed expression, Choi Jung Soo chuckled and shifted so that he was laying on his side instead of his back. His eyes completely focused on Kim Rok Soo, who refused to meet his gaze and looked at everything except him. Choi Jung Soo watched him for a while before taking a strand of Kim Rok Soo’s hair and gently fiddling with it using his fingers.
“Hey… what’s on your mind?” Choi Jung Soo asked softly, eyes never leaving Kim Rok Soo’s face.
Kim Rok Soo remained silent for a moment. It took him a while before answering. “... Why do you two always praise me?”
“Hm?” Choi Jung Soo looked at him with a puzzled expression, not at all expecting this kind of question.
Seeing that Choi Jung Soo was not answering, Kim Rok Soo moved his gaze back to the expanse of stars above them and repeated the question, his voice now quieter than before. “Why praise me?”
“Why?” Choi Jung Soo furrowed his eyebrows at him, seeming genuinely confused. Then, his expression relaxed, and he gave out a short chuckle. “It’s because we think you’re worthy of praise, of course. I mean, come on, Rok Soo— you’ve done so many great things!”
Kim Rok Soo went quiet, his mind beginning to wander again.
He couldn’t help but internally scoff.
What great things? Compared to Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo, he hasn’t really done anything noteworthy.
Choi Jung Soo stared at Kim Rok Soo’s absentminded expression, one that he always wore whenever he was deep in thought, and sighed. He could more or less guess what the other was thinking. He’s known Kim Rok Soo for a while now, and he knew that, despite him trying to hide it, Kim Rok Soo actually doubted himself and his own skills a lot more than others would think. Maybe it was because Kim Rok Soo was part of an attack team yet had no real combat ability himself, or perhaps it was because Kim Rok Soo simply felt that he could never compare to Choi Jung Soo or Lee Soo Hyuk— but either way, Kim Rok Soo has always seen himself as the lesser of the three of them.
Choi Jung Soo didn’t find it pleasant.
“Rok Soo… look at me.”
Kim Rok Soo didn’t comply. He continued staring at the stars, his mind mentally noting down the various constellations that he spotted. He ignored Choi Jung Soo when he called out to him again, pretending to not have heard him.
Suddenly, the unconscious body that had been laying still to his left shifted, moving closer to Kim Rok Soo. A strong arm reached out and draped over Kim Rok Soo’s waist, effectively locking him in place.
“What are you both talking about?” A husky and sleepy voice mumbled, dangerously close to Kim Rok Soo’s ear. So close, in fact, that Kim Rok Soo couldn’t help but try to shift away from the hot breath that brushed past his earlobe.
Choi Jung Soo raised his head a bit and met Lee Soo Hyuk’s inquiring gaze.
“Kim Rok Soo seems to be thinking of something bad again,” Choi Jung Soo said in a straightforward manner, shrugging his shoulders.
“I am not.” Kim Rok Soo looked at Choi Jung Soo with a pointed glare, which only caused the other to laugh.
Normally, Kim Rok Soo’s glares would be seen as terrifying— but when paired with his flushed and reddened cheeks like now, it made him look like a harmless kitten.
Ah, how cute.
Hearing Choi Jung Soo’s answer, Lee Soo Hyuk let out a short hum. He was still drowsy from just waking up, and his body was still exhausted, so he didn’t want to move too much. Instead, he squirmed around a bit to find a more comfortable position— which ended up with him nuzzling his head against Kim Rok Soo’s shoulder, with one hand pillowing his own head while his other remained draped across Kim Rok Soo’s waist, completely unmoving.
Kim Rok Soo didn’t comment and let him do whatever he wanted.
After a while, Lee Soo Hyuk let out a yawn and asked, “What kind of thoughts, then?”
Kim Rok Soo was about to tell him to just ignore it but Choi Jung Soo spoke faster than he did.
“He wouldn’t tell me. Though, he did ask me why we keep praising him,” Choi Jung Soo stared at Kim Rok Soo as he spoke, “That should give you a rough idea.”
Lee Soo Hyuk nodded his head at Choi Jung Soo’s response. Meanwhile, Kim Rok Soo remained quiet as an ant.
Lee Soo Hyuk gave him a questioning look.
“Rok Soo-ya… are you doubting yourself again?”
Kim Rok Soo still didn’t respond.
Lee Soo Hyuk hadn't been expecting him to answer the question in the first place, so he brushed it off. However, even if Kim Rok Soo didn’t respond, he still had some things to say either way.
The hand he had draped over Kim Rok Soo moved upward, settling down on the younger man’s soft black locks. His hand stayed there, just savoring the softness.
“Rok Soo… we won’t force you to talk about anything you don’t want to talk about. We won’t force you to voice out your thoughts if you don’t want to— But—”
“But—” Choi Jung Soo echoed, trying to mimic Lee Soo Hyuk’s tone.
Lee Soo Hyuk laughed at the younger’s antics. “But, we still want you to know this: you are worth so much more than you think— you’re so much more important than you can imagine. Rok Soo, no matter what you think, me and Jung Soo aren’t just giving you empty praises. Neither of us are the type to give out empty compliments like charity. When we say something, we mean it. In other words, when we tell you you’re important, we mean it; when we tell you you’re needed, we mean it; and when we tell you you’re loved, we mean it.”
“You mean the world to us, Rok Soo. Don’t let your bad thoughts make you forget that.” Choi Jung Soo moved closer to the two of them and pressed a gentle kiss on Kim Rok Soo’s forehead.
“We both love you,” Lee Soo Hyuk said gently.
Choi Jung Soo grinned. “Hey, team leader-nim, what about me?”
“Yeah, yeah, I love you too, you punk.”
“Aw, I love you too, old man.”
“Aigoo, this bastard—”
Kim Rok Soo listened to their banter silently, eyes still glued to the sky. He couldn’t help the small smile from spreading on his face.
A moment of silence passed, only to be broken by Lee Soo Hyuk’s voice.
“Hey,” Lee Soo Hyuk started, “Do you think that, maybe after we die, we’ll turn into a constellation in the stars? Or just a star in general?”
“What?” Kim Rok Soo glanced at him.
“You know, like in mythology, where people became constellations after they died. Do you think we could be like that too?”
“... It sounds stupid.” Kim Rok Soo promptly looked away.
“What? I think it sounds sweet. Hey, won’t that mean we’d be together even after death? We’d stay by each other’s side in the sky for all eternity, never separated. Not one of us would have to be alone, even in the afterlife,” Choi Jung Soo, who’s head had moved to lay next to Kim Rok Soo’s at some point, said.
“... It sounds too cheesy.” Kim Rok Soo deadpanned.
“Oh come on, we know you like the thought of it too.” Choi Jung Soo smirked at him, a glint of playfulness in his eyes.
“... I don’t,” Kim Rok Soo mumbled.
“Pfft, liar.” Choi Jung Soo rolled his eyes at him. He took Kim Rok Soo’s hand leisurely and, seeing as Kim Rok Soo didn’t move it away from his grasp, intertwined his fingers with his.
Lee Soo Hyuk looked up at the sky, his eyes reflecting the thousands of lights above. “... I do hope there is a life after death, though.”
“Hm?” Choi Jung Soo moved his head to glance at him.
Kim Rok Soo looked back at Lee Soo Hyuk, who was still laying on his shoulder, waiting for him to continue.
A pause.
Then—
“Come on you guys, you’re supposed to ask why.” Lee Soo Hyuk huffed, pretending to be offended. He pouted, acting as if he had been wronged.
Kim Rok Soo rolled his eyes and ignored him, while Choi Jung Soo let out a laugh.
“Okay, why, then, oh great leader-nim?” Choi Jung Soo decided to indulge Lee Soo Hyuk.
Lee Soo Hyuk grinned. “Well, it’s because I want to spend more time with the both of you, of course.”
“Aww, hyung!” Choi Jung Soo moved to hug Lee Soo Hyuk, but since Kim Rok Soo was between the both of them, he ended up dragging Kim Rok Soo into it as well.
“God, you guys are so cheesy—” Kim Rok Soo said, trying to shuffle away from the group hug.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t strong compared to the other two, so he ended up having no choice but to just accept his fate and let himself be hugged.
He still refused to admit that he liked it.
“Come on, Rok Soo, stop being such a tsun!” Choi Jung Soo let out a huff.
“I’m not.” Kim Rok Soo rolled his eyes at him, firmly denying the obvious truth.
“But you are—”
“I am not—”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes!”
“No.”
“Yes!”
“Alright you two, that’s enough. Be quiet now.” Lee Soo Hyuk gently tapped a finger on both their foreheads. If it weren’t for the fact that he was still feeling tired after a long day, that tap would have probably been a strong flick to the head instead.
In the end, the two younger ones complied with the team leader’s words and became silent again.
Choi Jung Soo fixed his position so he wasn’t crushing Kim Rok Soo as much, which ended up with him in a similar position to Lee Soo Hyuk with his head on Kim Rok Soo’s shoulder, although his arm was draped across both Lee Soo Hyuk and Kim Rok Soo’s bodies. Meanwhile, Lee Soo Hyuk’s hand remained on Kim Rok Soo’s hair, gently stroking the black strands.
Kim Rok Soo let out a quiet sigh, his body more relaxed than it had ever been in the last few years of his life.
Perhaps in another world— another lifetime—, they might have lived their days in constant peace and tranquility. Where they didn't need to worry about life and death every second of the day; where they could sit down calmly under the light of a thousand stars without having to stay alert and vigilant. A world where they were calm, just like the stars.
Yet, even if they lived in a world where they had everything to fear, it didn't mean they would love each other any less.
In this world riddled with death and monsters, they could still find comfort in each other.
No matter what world they lived in, they would always be together.
No matter what.
Under the twinkling lights of the stars and the brilliance of the full moon, Kim Rok Soo laid next to Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo, gazing silently at the quiet sky above them.
It was a rare quiet that they would always cherish.
A rare silence where the only sound they could hear was the beating of their hearts.
If this was peace, then it was truly beautiful.