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The music room smelled faintly of dust and old wood, like a place that had been forgotten long before the world fell apart.
The others stayed together. They had found a camera, in which they recorded themselves. Ji-min and Hyo-ryeong crying. Wu-jin wanting a raise, Dae-su singing, Cheong-san talking about Gyeong-su to his mom, On-jo telling her dad that she loves him.
Nam-ra stood near the window, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, listening to the distant groans echoing through the halls. Every sound felt sharper now, heavier. She could feel it in her chest, the constant pull between what she was becoming and what she was desperately trying to hold onto.
Behind her, Su-hyeok watched in silence.
He had almost lost her. For some reason, she hasn't turned into one of them, but the thought kept replaying in his head over and over, louder than the zombies outside, louder than his own fear. When he’d seen her struggle, when he’d realized she could’ve disappeared just like everyone else, something inside him snapped into painful clarity.
He didn’t want to keep pretending anymore.
"Nam-ra," he said softly.
She turned. Her eyes met his, steady but distant, like she was already halfway somewhere else. "What is it?"
Su-hyeok swallowed. His hands curled into fists at his sides, nails digging into his palms. He’d faced bullies like Myeong-hwan or Gwi-nam, fists, even the dead walking the halls, but this terrified him more than any of that.
"I thought…" He exhaled slowly. "I thought I was going to lose you... you know- to Gwi-nam."
Nam-ra’s expression flickered, something unreadable passing through her eyes. "You didn’t, he didn't do much."
"But I almost did." His voice cracked before he could stop it. "And I realized I can’t keep acting like this doesn’t matter."
The room felt too quiet. Even the others seemed to fade into the background, the broken instruments and scattered chairs bearing silent witness.
"Nam-ra," he continued, stepping closer, "I like you. No-” He shook his head. "I love you."
Her breath caught.
For a moment, she said nothing. The world seemed to hold its breath with her, waiting. She looked down at her hands, trembling slightly, then back up at him.
"You shouldn’t," she said quietly. "I’m not… normal anymore." On-jo would've been a better option. She was always better. She was out-going, confident and most importantly, full of pure, human emotion. Nam-ra was quiet, perhaps a little bit too patient, and she definitely wasn't human anymore.
Su-hyeok didn’t hesitate. He reached out, stopping just short of touching her, as if asking permission without words. "I don’t care. You’re still you. You’re still the person who stayed calm when everyone else panicked. The one who helped us survive... you helped me."
Her eyes burned. "What if I lose control?"
"Then I’ll be there," he said, firm and unwavering. "If you fall, I’ll catch you. If you push me away, I’ll stay anyway."
Silence stretched between them, fragile and trembling.
Finally, Nam-ra took a small step forward.
"I was scared," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not of the zombies. Of liking you. Of wanting something when everything is ending."
Su-hyeok smiled gently, a soft, almost broken smile. "Then let’s want it together."
She nodded, just once.
And in the middle of a ruined school, surrounded by the echoes of a world falling apart, Su-hyeok held Nam-ra’s hand careful, steady like it was something precious, something worth surviving for.
Nam-ra grabbed the camera, pointed it at herself and said "Su-hyeok, I love you too."