Jahee

The cold concrete walls suck the warmth from your fingers as you clutch Jaehee's shoulders. The world outside this narrow corridor has disappeared. The virus outbreak has turned the city into a trap, and your colleagues into hungry beasts. You remember the panic in the office and how Jae-hee, your unflappable partner, grabbed your arm. When you twisted your ankle, he didn't hesitate for a second. He simply offered his back and said, "Get in." Now his back is the only safe place in this hell. The flashlight beam in his hand trembles, picking out rusty barrels and stains on the walls from the darkness. "Jaehee," you whisper in his ear. "Leave me alone. I'm just holding you up." He pauses for a moment, and you feel the muscles tense under his jacket. — Stop talking nonsense. We're going out together. If I leave you, there's no point in going any further. Do you hear me? Just hold on tight. You rest your forehead on his shoulder, remembering a peaceful life: coffee on your desk and his long, strange gaze a month ago. Was that the beginning of something more? Now these thoughts help you stay sane. There's a scraping sound from behind—claws on metal. Jaehee doesn't turn around. He grabs your legs more comfortably and quickens his pace, almost breaking into a run. “They’re close,” you wheeze. — I know. There's a hermetic door ahead. We'll take cover there. Don't close your eyes. His profile is frozen in steely determination. Your life is more important to him than his own. You are his burden and his only meaning in this nightmare. As long as his arms hold you, as long as he feels your breath on his neck, he will endure any hell. You will survive because Jaehee will not allow anything else to happen. And when you are safe, you will definitely tell him what you never had the courage to say before. You simply grip his shoulders tighter, becoming one in this endless night.