FLIA 32

Feeling awkward and embarrassed, Yohan’s whole body started to itch for no reason. While rubbing his arm and glancing over at Lee Hyunmook, Yohan’s heart lurched. His expression crumbled into a bright, gentle smile, just like the handsome one Yohan often saw in videos before he fell into the Abyss.

“Just teasing.”

The heat on Yohan’s face flared even more.

“You can call me whatever you’re comfortable with. Though, personally, I prefer being called by my name. No one’s called me by name in a long time. Everyone just calls me ‘Team Leader.’”

This was bad. The moment Yohan saw that smile on Lee Hyunmook’s face, for some reason, his mind was overwhelmed by the thought that this was really bad.

Without even realizing it, he’d been staring at Lee Hyunmook’s lips, and suddenly he felt a craving for apples and swallowed hard. Hyunmook, still wearing a trace of that gentle smile, looked quietly at him and asked in the kindest voice:

“What is it, Yohan-ah?”

“N-no… it’s just…”

Being called “Yohan-ah” with such affection was just as unbearably tingly as calling him “Hyunmook-hyung.” While Yohan was sweating bullets, Hyunmook’s smile slowly faded. But it wasn’t in a negative way. He seemed intensely focused as he spoke in a low voice.

“It feels like something warm, like hot water, is flowing out of your body right now.”

“Hot water?”

Yohan felt flustered and embarrassed, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Hyunmook’s face. Lee Hyunmook placed his hand gently on Yohan’s shoulder.

“Just touching you like this feels like I’m thawing out hands that were frozen all winter. You probably don’t even realize how good this feels…”

Wow – no, actually, Yohan kind of did get what he meant. Now not just his face, but his whole body was heating up. Out of nowhere, some mysterious courage surged inside him, and Yohan reached out and grabbed Lee Hyunmook’s hand. Even though Hyunmook said Yohan felt like warm water, his own hand was actually warmer.

With his face turning bright red, Yohan asked the startled Lee Hyunmook:

“Does this… make it feel a bit warmer?”

Whether he meant it or not, Lee Hyunmook’s eyes, brows, and mouth softened.

“Yeah. Much warmer…”

Treating him as if holding something precious and cherished, Lee Hyunmook slowly pulled Yohan’s hand toward himself. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against the back of Yohan’s hand. Yohan couldn’t do anything. All he felt was an intense desire to make this person warmer…

SCREEE! SCREEEEE!

A sudden shriek jolted Yohan back to reality. When Lee Hyunmook opened his eyes and lowered his hand, Yohan felt a deep pang of regret. The mood had been really good… And before they could even check what caused the noise, the door burst open. Gripping something weird in his hand like it was someone’s scalp, Yoon Seungryong stepped in and said bluntly:

“We have to move.”

***

“Follow me,” Seungryong said, leading them to an area near the black forest, about an hour away. The moment they arrived, all three of their expressions soured.

“Team Leader, you ever seen anything like this?”

“…No.”

It looked like massive pustules or blisters had erupted in a straight line, as if pushing through cracks from deep within the Black Forest. Inside, something sickening and putrid churned. They didn’t need to pop them to know what it was. Keeping his distance and even turning his gaze slightly away, Seungryong pointed with the tip of his spear.

“Feels like a Flood.”

“Yeah, I see it.”

Even as they talked, the cracks continued to split wider, and the pustules slowly expanded from within. Thankfully, the amount wasn’t nearly as massive as what they’d seen in the Ruined City, so both Hyunmook and Seungryong didn’t seem too affected. But Yohan still felt uneasy and tugged at the hems of their clothes.

“If it’s really that, shouldn’t we keep a bit more distance?”

The two looked back at him and obediently stepped back. Seungryong placed a hand on his hip and chuckled.

“Yeah, good call. If I turn into a monster again, that’d be real bad for our Yohan.”

He was acting like an adult humoring a child with a smart comment. They were only two years apart…! Yohan felt a bit indignant but still nervously turned his eyes back to the pustules. Just looking at them made his stomach churn, so he, too, averted his gaze slightly.

“Could it be the Ruined City is so full that it’s spilling out here?”

“Maybe, but what bugs me is the direction it’s spreading.”

Seungryong pointed with his long, sharp spear toward where the pustules were forming. Faintly visible in the distance was a house, their house.

“It’s headed right for our place. I don’t think that’s a coincidence… it’s unsettling. I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“Yeah, we’d better move further away. Just in case.”

After a brief pause, Hyunmook made the decision. On the way back, Yohan looked gloomy. Once they returned, he began stuffing food into his backpack with a heavy sigh. It reminded him painfully of the last time he had to leave supplies behind at the convenience store.

“Thinking about leaving all this behind again just hurts.”

“What? No way! Why would we throw it out? We’re taking all of it!”

Seungryong, who was helping him pack, shouted seriously. But Yohan pointed to the large hiking backpack.

“It’s pretty obvious this won’t all fit. Hauling it in a cart would be too much too.”

“Tsk, tsk. Yohan-ah, just watch.”

Seungryong gathered up an armful of canned food. Then, he shoved it into the air. Something invisible crinkled like paper, and suddenly the cans vanished. Yohan covered his mouth with both hands.

“N-no way…!”

“That’s right! We can take it all! Nothing’s getting left behind!”

He proudly pulled the same cans back out again. And he had every right to be proud.

“Wooooow!”

Yohan jumped up and down, spinning in circles with Seungryong in pure joy. His eyes sparkled with admiration. Memories of having to anxiously count his remaining rations, of abandoning hard-earned supplies, flashed through his mind. Seungryong’s “pocket” was even large enough to store a mattress. Now they had a comfortable place to sleep too.

“Oh, right. I caught some fruit earlier, want to eat it before we leave?”

Seungryong, who had just finished cramming in their entire load, suddenly remembered. They stepped into the yard, where Hyunmook was already cleaning the “fruit” he’d slaughtered earlier. Apparently, those shrieking creatures were them. After purification, what remained were enormous tangerines.

“Damn, maybe this is Jeju Island. We’ve got pigs, tangerines… it’ll make a great dessert.”

They ate a few, packed the rest, and Seungryong proposed:

“While we’re at it, let’s raid a market too.”

His eyes burned with determination to take everything edible in the area. Naturally, there was no reason to object, so they set off immediately. In the end, the three of them left the Black Forest marshlands loaded with sacks of rice, a pig-mole, and all sorts of other food.

***

“He sleeps like a damn human…”

Yoon Seungryong muttered blankly, resting his chin in his hand. His gaze was fixed on Yohan, who was fast asleep on the mattress, snoring softly. Despite being watched by both Seungryong and Hyunmook, Yohan slept soundly, completely unaware.

He was curled right in the center of the mattress, squeezed between two large men. It was clearly a bit much, but neither of them budged from the edges, they were both determined to keep Yohan in the safest spot. His purification ability was far too precious. No, “precious” wasn’t enough. It was a miracle in this hell.

“Man, it’s been ages since I felt sleepy…”

Even while saying that, Yoon Seungryong didn’t show any signs of actually falling asleep. After confirming that Yohan was completely out, he quietly scooted in closer. Yohan’s ability, which subtly leaked out even when awake, flowed more freely now. Instinctively, they inched closer. The area around Yohan looked like it had been scrubbed clean, bright, fresh, comfortable.

“If only… if only he’d come sooner…”

Murmuring in a blank voice, Seungryong slid his fingers between Yohan’s back and the mattress. He wanted to curl up with him completely, but there was no way Lee Hyunmook would allow that. The intense gaze glaring at him like a hawk made Yoon Seungryong grumble internally.

‘Like I’d seriously try anything. I’m full, damn it…’

Of course, he didn’t say it out loud. After Yohan fell asleep, Hyunmook had been silently watching, but now he spoke.

“Good thing he came when he did. Even if… it’s bad luck for Yohan.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

He remembered crawling like a worm through freezing, muddy snowfields, neither dead nor alive, until he finally found warmth. Not just warmth, heat that thawed his twisted limbs and brought him back to life. That filthy mud cave he once thought of as home now felt repulsive. The warmth shaped like a person in front of him was so precious that if he lost it and had to return to that life, he’d rather die. And Hyunmook, he was sure, felt the same.