Cheongsan!

The night was strangely quiet. One wouldn't believe it possible with the apocalypse outside, with zombies everywhere groaning and moaning for their next meal. The night was silent.

Your mind wasn't present. It was full of thoughts about the events that had occurred in the span of a single day. It was even more full of thoughts about what the future held. Here's one: "What future?"

You sat in the back of the abandoned classroom, your back against the windowsill and your knees pressed to your chest, looking out the window. It was a beautiful full moon. It contrasted sharply with the view below. Zombies running rampant, brain-dead and ears alert for another bite of human flesh. You turned away before you could glimpse a friend you couldn't save.

The others had settled down to rest, except for you and one other. Cheongsan.

He sat inches from you, his eyes fixed on the door frame. He insisted on keeping watch even though everyone had urged him to sleep. You watched as his gaze moved from the door to the sky and finally landed on you. The tension that had been in the air all day seemed to dissipate between the two of you, as if the outside world had taken a brief pause.

You didn't say anything at first. Neither of us did. There was no need for words, only the shared understanding that, for once, there was nothing to plan, nothing to fight against. Just silence.

Finally, you asked him why he kept looking at you so much. And he simply replied, “Because I like you, idiot.”