Apocalypse: Apparently, I Can See Zombies

It took a few minutes for Jin-woo to reach the Broadcasting Club room, and his heartbeat could almost be heard if one listened closely. However, Jin-woo wasn't sure whether this was from excitement or exhaustion. Perhaps it was both.

After breathing in and releasing a breath to calm down, Jin-woo knocked on the door. He then waited for a moment before he heard rustling sounds, and then it was suddenly opened.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Jin-woo came face-to-face with a face he had only seen on the grainy monitor. He could tell Ah-yong was beautiful then, but now while she stood in front of him, he realized the monitor hadn't done her justice.

Ah-yong's black hair which reached past her shoulders was tied into a ponytail, giving one a clear view of her dimples that showed as she smiled at Jin-woo. Her eyes squinted into crescent moons as a result of that smile as well.

"Jin-woo?"

Hearing the familiar voice that tickled his ear, Jin-woo came to his senses before saying with a nod and a smile.

"Yeah, it's me."

Ah-yong getting confirmation had her smile grow even bigger before she stepped forward intending to hug Jin-woo. However, Jin-woo hurriedly stopped her saying.

"Ah, wait, I'm covered in sweat so it might not be a good idea to hug me right now."

Ah-yong took a closer look at Jin-woo and indeed she saw large beads of sweat forming on his forehead with a few wet patches on his P.E. shirt.

"Then I'll just settle for a handshake for now."

Ah-yong said with a smile still on her face as she extended her hand.

Seong, who was leaning against the wall nearby, clicked his tongue upon seeing the missed opportunity.

Jin-woo ignored him and after putting the gun in his utility belt, he wiped his hand on his P.E. shorts and shook Ah-yong's hand.

While shaking Jin-woo's hand, Ah-yong finally glanced at his arm in the sling and asked worriedly.

"What happened to your arm?"

"I'm fine, it's just dislocated."

Enjoy new adventures at empire

Jin-woo said dismissively but Ah-yong shook her head and said.

"Look how much blood there is on your arm, there should be a large cut on your shoulder. Not to mention slight blood loss, if you don't get it treated it might become infected."

Letting go of Ah-yong's hand, Jin-woo touched his shoulder with a finger and responded.

"I'll get it treated don't worry, but I have to escort you back first."

Ah-yong had wanted to help Jin-woo treat his wound, but upon hearing the latter part of his sentence she remembered what kind of situation they were in and nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

Jin-woo nodded as well before turning around to lead the way. However, the moment he took a step he wobbled to the side. This was a frequent occurrence, so he managed to catch his footing in time. However, Ah-yong immediately rushed over in panic.

"Jin, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine."

Jin-woo tried to wave off Ah-yong's concern once again, but seeing his pale face Ah-yong suddenly realized Jin-woo might be the type of person to say he was fine when he clearly wasn't.

With narrowed eyes, Ah-yong abruptly stepped forward to Jin-woo's right side and placed his hand over her shoulder.

"No, you don't-"

Jin-woo wasn't able to let out that protest as Ah-yong suddenly cut him off by glaring at him and saying.

"What if you suddenly collapse while heading to the ground floor, do you think I would be able to carry you by myself? At that point wouldn't it have been better if you hadn't come to escort me at all? Just stop saying you're fine and accept my help."

Any more words of protest that were on the tip of Jin-woo's tongue got stuck in his throat due to Ah-yong's reasoning. He could only nod and obediently relaxed against Ah-yong's shoulder and let himself be helped.

Seong who had been watching this scene in silence wore a skeptical expression on his face. He kept glancing at Jin-woo while wondering if he had done that on purpose. But he couldn't tell as it looked extremely natural on Jin-woo's part.

He also took the liberty to glance at Ah-yong's side profile a couple of times as she helped Jin-woo. He realized that he might have misjudged how headstrong she was.

'Ah-yong… Ah-yong. Now that I think about it this name sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before? From her uniform, she seems to be a second-year student.'

It wasn't like Seong to forget something like this, but this must mean he might have heard her name in an extremely brief passing. He just couldn't remember when and in what context.

After giving up on figuring out where he recognized Ah-yong's name from, Seong went back to glancing at Jin-woo. This best friend of his might have actually tried to implement his plan just now.

However, this thought faded as the two headed down the stairs to the third floor. Jin-woo really didn't seem like he was acting.

Seong thought back to everything Jin-woo had been through and he was convinced his best friend might truly be at his limit.

However, as this opinion was forming in Seong's mind, something happened as they were walking past a classroom on the second floor.

A loud bang echoed out along with glass on the door of the classroom shattering. A zombie trapped inside had slammed against it. As a result, Ah-yong was startled and stumbled back out of fear. Jin-woo's slumped shoulders suddenly straightened and he caught her before she could fall.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm…"

Ah-yong was about to answer Jin-woo, but she suddenly stopped and glared at him.

"You're the one who's exhausted while having a dislocated shoulder, why are you asking if I'm okay?"

Ah-yong then held Jin-woo's arm and continued to help him walk.

Meanwhile, Seong was standing off to the side, his eyes and mouth wide open in shock. He pointed at Jin-woo as he passed with Ah-yong, but Jin-woo's face reddened as he shot him a warning glare.

Seong remembered Jin-woo's threat from before and didn't dare utter a word, but his stunned expression already conveyed most of what he wanted to say.

As the three youths continued to the ground floor, faint snickers could be heard echoing in the hallway at certain times. However, only Jin-woo could hear it, and each time he did he would feel embarrassed.

In truth, Jin-woo was making an empty threat. He was too exhausted both mentally and physically to use his abilities, even his auto aim seemed to have disappeared. If not for this, he would have long followed through with his threat and let Seong walk around stark naked.

Sounds of glass cracking echoed out under Jin-woo and Ah-yong's feet as they reached the stair landing just before the last flight of stairs. After passing that last flight of stairs, they turned the corner and headed to the cafeteria.

However, Jin-woo suddenly said.

"I still have to help escort the others on the west wing so I can't stay."

"You still want to move around in your condition?"

Ah-yong said with a shocked look on her face when she heard Jin-woo's words.

"This is the last thing I have to do, then I can rest."

Ah-yong hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

"Okay, I won't stop you, but you should at least rest for a couple of minutes."

Jin-woo nodded in agreement, and at that moment they reached the double metal doors of the cafeteria.

A female student was seen peeking out of the uncracked window of the right door. When she saw Ah-yong and Jin-woo coming she turned and yelled at the other students inside the cafeteria.

"He came back!"

Jin-woo could faintly hear the girl's shout and the subsequent commotion that happened inside the cafeteria, but that type of welcome made his heart stir with nervousness. He had already decided not to care about what others thought of him and had even mentally prepared for when everyone started hating him after they found out he was somewhat at fault.

But despite that this nervousness was still going to be there.

Jin-woo released an internal sigh before one of the metal doors was open, allowing him and Ah-yong to enter the cafeteria.

However, after entering, Jin-woo saw that aside from the forty or so students and five teachers, he saw several other familiar faces.

Mai-sun, Ye-jun, Seo-joon, and his two lackeys. Even those three students who were with him in the security room were there, with the male student holding the drawstring bag he had left behind.

Jin-woo had never expected to see them here, so he was more than taken aback.