Somehow the number of zombies seemed a little less than before, and it was true. In the midst of wonder, he saw the locker where he had put the food was blocked by desks and chairs.
Should he remove them one by one? Or should he just push them all away? Then would it make a loud noise? What should he do? While Taewoong was wondering what to do, his arm was tapped. When he turned his body, Yeoul raised his heels and brought his lips close to Taewoong’s ear.
“Zombies can’t climb over desks, so how about waiting until the bell rings and when it rings, push all the desks and chairs towards the zombies to block them?”
Whisper whisper. Yeoul met his round eyes as if asking how it is, along with a whisper that seemed to tickle his ear. Taewoong was genuinely surprised.
How can he think with that small head, and how can he be so smart? As expected, being first in the whole school is not for just anyone. As expected, Choi Yeoul! Taewoong looked at Yeoul, who was blinking his chestnut-colored eyes with an “Eh?” sound, and silently admired him, then quickly nodded. Yeoul’s face brightened.
Taewoong nodded and smiled! Yeoul, who was watching, followed and nodded, then was startled.
Ta, Taewoong and I are alone together, and we even whispered in each other’s ears! What kind of dream-like thing is this! Even in the urgent situation, his heart fluttered and the corners of his mouth twitched on their own.
At this rate, Taewoong will misunderstand him as a crazy person. Yeoul pressed his lips that kept trying to smile with his palm and squatted down. He couldn’t see the zombies that were only three steps away properly. He just glanced at Taewoong, who was now looking at his cell phone while sitting right next to him, covering his mouth with his hand and laughing silently.
Like that, from Taewoong’s short black hair to his nicely tanned smooth face and light lips. As he was viewing Taewoong’s face like appreciating a work of art in a museum, Taewoong put the cell phone he was looking at in his pocket. Then he visibly took a deep breath. Yeoul took out his cell phone and checked the time intuitively.
It was 5 minutes before the bell would ring while Taewoong’s handsome face distracted him. It was time to get ready.
“Taewoong.”
“Yeah. I’ll get ready.”Â
Taewoong put the bat he was holding in his bag and got up from his seat. Looking at the messy locker, he also memorized the location of items on the floor in case there was time left.
Somehow, he would definitely get one more thing. Taewoong did jumping jacks to stretch, looking at the floor covered in desks, chairs, coats, snack bags, bouquets, and drenched in blood. Â
As he clenched and unclenched his fists to relieve tension, Yeoul standing next to him showed his phone screen.
[Bell will ring for 10 seconds]
10 seconds. He had to grab things within 10 seconds. He made an okay sign with his fingers to Yeoul to say he understood. At the same time, the bell rang.
“Kaaahh!!”Â
“Grah, ack!!”
The zombies cried out in unison as if singing along to <Für Elise> and reached out with open mouths towards the speakers. Seeing that, Taewoong went inside without hesitation. He immediately cleared the cluttered desks and chairs like a madman, hitting them with his hands and kicking them to make a path to his locker. Â
The desks and chairs pushed and kicked by Taewoong’s hands and feet clattered noisily. A few of the zombies entranced by the bell turned their heads. They opened their mouths wide towards Taewoong and clacked their teeth. Â
The zombies narrowed the distance, drooling sticky saliva beyond their open mouths. Yeoul, who had been picking up coats and padding on the path Taewoong made instead of staying still, was startled. Afraid he might scream, he bit his lips hard then glanced at still busy Taewoong and kicked a chair towards the window with all his might. The loud bang! of the chair hitting the wall made the zombies charge at the wall.
“Tae-Taewoong!”Â
The bell is almost over! Yeoul, who had coats and padding in his arms, called Taewoong right in front of the back door. Taewoong quickly pushed chairs aside and ran. Waiting Yeoul reached out and strongly pulled Taewoong’s arm. Bam! The back door closed.
“Wow, fuck…”Â
He came out of the classroom half rolling from Yeoul’s pull. He blankly stared at the closed door then exclaimed softly and plopped down. Yeoul also sat down as if collapsing with a sigh. Leaning against the wall and catching his breath for a while, Taewoong let out a long sigh.
He really gave it his all. He was completely drained as if he had played a full game. He spat out the saliva that tasted like blood on the floor, then raised both hands. Â
“Ha… I got it.”Â
He filled up the convenience store plastic bag he had in his locker and even picked up the crumpled cake box on the floor. He seemed to have grabbed quite a bit. Grinning happily, he looked at Yeoul as if asking how it was. Yeoul’s mouth gradually fell open.
“…A-Amazing.”Â
Despite the short 10 seconds, Taewoong properly grabbed food!
What can’t our Taewoong do! Yeoul admired him sincerely.
Unable to contain his admiration, he gave two thumbs up, and Taewoong said “ah” and put his hand in his pants pocket. He carefully took something out.
“That… um, this…”Â
A cotton flower.
Taewoong awkwardly holds out a cotton flower that looks white like cotton candy and fluffy. Yeoul alternated his wide open eyes between the cotton flower and Taewoong.
“…Flower?”Â
“Uh… I had put a bouquet in my locker. I wanted to take out the whole bouquet but it got stuck on something and wouldn’t come out. I was going to forcefully take it out but there was no time so I just hastily took this.”
The limited time and situation piled up frustration. He wanted to flip everything over but he couldn’t. Instead, he kicked and shoved every desk and chair he saw, then opened his locker. Â
A bouquet. There was a bouquet in the locker.
Not wanting to leave the flowers as is, he tried to take it out but for some reason it wouldn’t budge. In the end, while grabbing the paper bag, he pulled out the visible cotton flower. Taewoong sighed with some irritation and regret and held out the flower a bit more. Watching him, Yeoul carefully took the cotton flower.
“Than…”Â
While taking the cotton flower, he belatedly noticed the state of Taewoong’s hand holding the flower. Yeoul’s face crumpled.
“Le-Let’s treat your hand.”
He found food but Taewoong’s hand was in bad shape. Yeoul carefully put the cotton flower in his pants pocket and held Taewoong’s right hand in both of his, pulling it close. Â
“Ah…”
His long, smooth hand was red and swollen all over, the skin was torn and bleeding. Yeoul’s eyes contorted at Taewoong’s noticeably injured hand. Watching him, Taewoong panicked with an “uh? uh?”.
“…Oh, hey… Ye-Yeoul, are you crying?” Â
Yeoul’s pupils gradually turned clear and teardrops began to form under his eyes. Before long, a teardrop fell. Taewoong was so surprised he almost forgot they were in a corridor with zombies and nearly screamed.
“Hey, why, why are you crying? No… do-don’t cry.”
Choi Yeoul is crying! I don’t know why he’s crying but I can’t let him keep crying!Â
Taewoong stammered with a greatly flustered face, trying his best to console him, then threw his arms around Yeoul, thinking ‘whatever’. Yeoul was startled and trembled, then awkwardly patted Taewoong’s stiff back. Â
Afraid the zombies far away might come, or Yeoul’s back might hurt since he looked weak, he patted as gently and carefully as possible a few times. Yeoul, who had been crying silently, raised his head, sniffling. He slowly closed and opened his red, swollen eyes from crying.
“So-Sorry… I think you got hurt because of me, so…”
He injured Taewoong’s well-proportioned hands, the asset of a soccer player. He felt upset and sorry, thinking it was his fault for telling him to overdo it saying food was important.
The tears pouring out from the comforting pats lessened but didn’t completely stop. He couldn’t be more of a burden and tried to stop somehow, then made eye contact with Taewoong.
“…Ah, how are you so pretty?”Â
His calm, deep brown hair that looked like it had a nice texture despite being sweaty, his long eyelashes, round eyes wet with tears, the area around his eyes and cheeks flushed from crying, and his plump lips. Taewoong, who had been quietly looking at Yeoul’s face that was busy being pretty then cute, inadvertently exclaimed out loud. Yeoul’s face gradually heated up as he watched him.
“…Um, excuse me, Taewoong?”
“Huh? …Gasp!”Â
Taewoong, who had been absently staring at Yeoul with round eyes not knowing what to do, belatedly noticed his own mumbling. He hurriedly swallowed. Â
Mesmerized by Choi Yeoul’s pretty face, he ended up saying his thoughts out loud! With his eyes wide open, not breathing, Yeoul’s face turned bright red as if about to burst. Soon he didn’t know what to do with his eyes.
“Uh, that… um, no… uh… th-thanks…”Â
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
