The sky was bruised with shades of grey and crimson as Y/N trudged through the abandoned street, her boots crunching against shards of broken glass. Every sound — the rustle of the wind, the distant creak of metal — felt louder in the silence of a world that had forgotten how to breathe.
Her fingers tightened around the knife at her belt. She'd been walking for hours — searching, hoping — for any sign of BTS, TXT, or the small, laughing voice she missed the most: her little brother.
She stopped beside a rusted van. On the side, someone had spray-painted "SAFE HAVEN →", but the arrow had long faded. She crouched, running her gloved hand over the cool metal. A small charm dangled from the mirror — a tiny purple bunny. Her breath caught."Bunny…" she whispered.
Memories flickered — Jungkook's laughter, the way he'd tied that charm to his bag, teasing her for worrying too much. The sight of it now made her chest tighten. They were here. Recently.
She opened the van door slowly. Inside were empty water bottles, a ripped jacket, and… footprints in the dust. Big ones — several — but one pair smaller, lighter. Her heart pounded."Hyun…" she murmured her brother's name, barely audible.
Just then, a soft thump echoed from behind the van. Y/N froze. Her breath hitched as she gripped her knife tighter. Another sound — a shuffle, too careful to be a zombie.
"Who's there?" she called, voice trembling between fear and hope.
No response — only the whisper of wind through broken glass. Then a faint humming — a melody she knew by heart. Her lips parted in disbelief. It was "Euphoria."
Her eyes welled up. That song… it belongs to Jungkook . She took a hesitant step forward."Jungkook?" she whispered.
The humming stopped.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then — a faint voice from the shadows."Y/N…?"
Her heart nearly stopped. She turned — and there, at the end of the alley, stood a silhouette. Dirty, trembling, but unmistakably familiar.
Tears blurred her vision as she took a step closer."Jungkook?"
The figure stepped into the light — a boy about thirteen, eyes wide, terrified.
It wasn't Jungkook.
It was her brother.
"Hyun…" Y/N whispered, her voice breaking as the boy stumbled toward her.
His face was pale, streaked with dirt and tears, but those same bright eyes — the ones that always saw the good in the world — looked up at her, trembling.
"Y/N… I thought you were— I thought you were gone," he stammered, his small hands clutching at her jacket as if afraid she'd disappear if he let go.
Y/N dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around him. For a moment, everything — the fear, the hunger, the endless running — faded. All she could hear was his heartbeat against hers.
"I'm here," she whispered against his hair, her voice breaking. "I'm right here."
He sobbed into her shoulder. "They tried to protect me. Jungkook-hyung… Taehyung-hyung… they— they told me to hide when the swarm came."
Y/N's heart clenched. She pulled back slightly, holding his face between her hands. "You saw them? BTS and TXT?"
Hyun nodded, tears rolling down his cheeks. "We found an old hospital outside the city. They were treating the wounded. TXT was there too. Yeonjun-hyung got hurt trying to get supplies. Then… the alarms went off. Zombies everywhere. Jungkook-hyung carried me out through the back. He said he'd come back for the others."
Her stomach dropped. "And did he?"
Hyun looked down, his lip trembling. "He didn't come back."
The silence that followed felt like the world had stopped turning.
Y/N forced herself to breathe. Her brother was safe — that was what mattered. But the thought of Jungkook, of the others — trapped, fighting, maybe worse — tore at her insides.
She looked around — the sky was darkening again. The distant groans of the infected echoed through the ruined buildings. "We can't stay here," she said, standing and taking his hand. "Show me where you last saw them."
Hyun hesitated. "But Y/N… there were so many of them. You'll get hurt."
She tightened her grip on his hand. "I've made it this far. I'm not leaving them behind."
They started walking, the faint sound of thunder rolling in the distance. Y/N's eyes hardened with determination.Every step she took, she replayed Jungkook's last words in her mind — the way he'd promised, "No matter what happens, I'll find you."
Now, it was her turn to keep that promise.
As they approached the outskirts of the city, Hyun pointed ahead — a dark shape rising against the skyline. The hospital.
Its windows were shattered, lights flickering weakly through the storm. And in the distance, a figure stood at the rooftop edge — watching them.
The wind carried a whisper, faint but clear enough for Y/N to hear."Y/N…"
Her eyes widened.
Was it Jungkook — or something else waiting for her in the ruins?
The wind howled through the broken city as Y/N and Hyun approached the hospital gates. Rusted metal screeched when she pushed the door open — the sound echoing like a cry in the empty night.
The rain had begun to fall — cold and relentless — washing streaks of dirt from Y/N's face as she stared up at the crumbling building. The faded sign read:SEOUL MEDICAL CENTER.
She remembered it. This was where BTS and TXT had last sent their final transmission before everything went dark.
Inside, the air was heavy with the smell of rot and rust. The halls were dark, except for the occasional flash of lightning through shattered windows. Y/N gripped her flashlight tighter. The beam trembled against the walls, revealing bloody handprints and broken stretchers.
Hyun clung to her sleeve. "This is where Jungkook-hyung told me to wait," he whispered. "Right there… behind the nurses' desk."
Y/N moved closer, her heart pounding. Behind the counter, there was a pile of blankets — old, but recently disturbed. She knelt, brushing them aside. Underneath lay a small, folded piece of paper sealed in plastic. Her fingers shook as she opened it.
"To anyone still alive — We split up. BTS heading to the roof. TXT staying to protect the wounded.If you find this, we'll come back when it's safe. — RM."
Y/N's throat tightened. They were alive. Or at least… they were then.
Suddenly, a metallic crash echoed from above — something falling hard against the floor. Y/N's flashlight flicked upward to the stairwell. The faint glow of a lantern flickered two floors up.
She turned to Hyun. "Stay here. Don't move. No matter what."
He nodded, though his eyes begged her not to go.
Y/N crept up the stairs, each step creaking under her boots. The air grew colder. The rain outside intensified, pounding against the roof like drums.
At the top of the stairwell, she stopped. The hallway stretched ahead — doors open, shadows moving just out of sight. She could hear faint breathing. Human. Ragged.
She followed the sound until she reached the rooftop door. It was slightly open, the wind whistling through the gap.
Pushing it gently, she stepped out — and froze.
Under the storm-lit sky, three figures huddled near a burning barrel. One turned slowly — soaked hair clinging to his face, eyes sunken but unmistakably familiar.
Jin.
"Y/N…" he breathed, disbelief written all over his face.
Her heart leapt. "You're alive—"
Before she could finish, another voice came from the shadows behind him — hoarse but steady.
"Not all of us."
Y/N's breath hitched as Jungkook stepped into the light — bandaged arm, blood staining his sleeve, but his gaze locked on hers. The mix of relief and grief in his eyes told her everything she didn't want to hear.
"Where are the others?" she whispered.
Jungkook's jaw tightened. Lightning flashed — and behind him, she saw seven makeshift crosses lined up along the rooftop wall.
Her knees nearly gave out. "No…"
Jungkook stepped closer, rain streaming down his face. "We tried, Y/N. We fought until the end. TXT stayed behind to draw the horde away… Taehyung didn't make it out."
The storm drowned out her sob. She took a step forward, hand trembling as it brushed against his chest. He caught it, holding on tightly — grounding her as the world spun.
"We're going to finish what they started," he said, voice breaking. "We'll find whoever's still out there — and make this count."
Y/N nodded weakly, tears mixing with the rain. Somewhere deep inside, the fire that had almost gone out sparked again.
Because even in this dead world — as long as they were still breathing — there was hope.