CHAPTER 5: PAINFUL ESCAPE

Few minutes passed. And outside, Jihoon gasped when he saw him return, relief and worried filled his chest. Dohyun's jacket covered in blood and dirt.

"Are you okay?! What happened-"

"No time. I've got the supplies."

Dohyun threw the bags into the backseat and climbed into the driver's side. As the car pulled away, Jihoon sat beside him in silence, tears dripping onto his jeans.

Then softly-

"...It's really happening, isn't it?"

Dohyun stared at the road.

"Yes."

————

The city looked like it had aged a century in a single night. As Dohyun drove through the outskirts, smoke curled in the distance, rising like black veins into the pale morning sky.

Sirens still echoed in waves - not the sharp, rhythmic wails of order, but jagged, desperate sounds.

Jihoon sat beside him, clutching the strap of the duffel bag on his lap, face pale and eyes unfocused.

The silence between them was thick. Heavy.

The radio crackled suddenly, cutting through it.

"-repeat, the Korean government has activated emergency protocol Theta. Citizens are advised to remain calm and follow official evacuation instructions. Military units have secured multiple zones including Gangbuk, Songdo, and Mokpo. Quarantine teams are being deployed. This is not a full-scale collapse-"

Dohyun reached over and turned the volume down without a word.

Jihoon blinked. "Why'd you do that?"

"They're lying."

Jihoon stared at him. "But-maybe it's true. They're still working on it, right? Maybe they can stop it."

Dohyun didn't answer at first. He kept his eyes on the road.

Up ahead, a firetruck lay on its side across an intersection.

Bodies strewn like discarded dolls around it.

"...They lost control the moment it spread to the stations," he finally said.

"Those voices on the radio? They're prerecorded. That said Mokpo, Gangbuk, and Songdo... But in the end none of them survived"

Jihoon's throat moved in a silent swallow. "But how do you-?"

Whup-whup-whup-whup-

The low beat of a helicopter filled the air above them.

They both glanced out the window. The black military chopper soared across the sky in a clean arc, heading east.

Jihoon leaned against the window. "It's military. Maybe we can-"

"No."

Dohyun's voice was tight. Final.

Jihoon turned toward him again. "What? But why not? They can help-"

"They're not looking for survivors. Not yet. That's not a rescue bird, it's an extraction."

"...Extraction?"

"For executives. Generals. Government officials. Maybe even... my father."

Jihoon blinked. "Your father?"

Dohyun didn't look at him. His jaw clenched slightly.

"...He owns half the tech grid for the Seoul region. They'll save people like him. People who have 'value.'"

A bitter laugh escaped him.

"They don't care about us. Not now. Maybe not ever."

The car rattled slightly as it hit a stretch of torn road.

Jihoon leaned back into his seat, quiet again.

"...Then what are we doing?" he asked, his voice soft.

"Going south," Dohyun said. "To Jeju."

"But it's so far..."

"I know. Let's plan it"

————

Pyeongtaek - Gyeonggi-do Province - Gyeongbu Highway

They passed the city's edge an hour later.

No more horns.

No more screams.

Just long stretches of cracked asphalt and abandoned wrecks.

The further they went, the quieter it became-a silence that scraped at the bones.

Then: the checkpoint.

Barricades lined the road ahead, cobbled together with steel fencing, overturned buses, sandbags blackened by soot.

Yellow military tape fluttered in the wind, but no movement. No guards.

Dohyun slowed the car.

Jihoon leaned forward. "Is this...?"

"The first Safe Zone," Dohyun muttered. "Built when Seoul fell. They screened civilians. Only the clean ones got through."

Jihoon's voice caught with a faint, desperate hope. "So we can-"

"No," Dohyun cut in. "They don't make it past midnight."

"...What?"

"They fall," he said simply. "Every one of them."

He parked off the shoulder. Gravel cracked under the tires.

Dohyun stepped out first, scanning the still air, hand at his side.

Jihoon followed, more hesitant.

The smell hit them first-rot, piss, scorched plastic, and something metallic.

The stench of dead humanity.

Then the sound.

Voices.

They approached slowly-past an overturned ambulance, dried blood smeared across its hood-and saw them.

Fifty. Maybe more.

Civilians trapped behind the barricade. Thin. Dirty. Some slumped on the ground. Others shouting at the lone soldier who stood-rifle in hand, barely upright, blood on his collar.

"We need water!"

"My baby! Please!"

"Let us in! We're still human!"

The soldier didn't answer. His eyes were sunken. Hands trembling.

Dohyun raised his voice. "We're uninfected."

The soldier snapped the barrel up.

"Stop! Hands up! Strip-now!"

Jihoon flinched.

Dohyun didn't move. "We're passing through."

"No one passes," the soldier rasped. "Orders from command."

Dohyun stepped forward. "Command is dead."

That made the soldier pause.

Just a second. Enough for the fear in his eyes to crack and show something worse underneath.

"...You've seen it."

Dohyun didn't answer.

He turned to Jihoon. "We're leaving."

Jihoon looked past the gate.

At the teenage boy coughing up blood. At the mother holding a too-still child. At the soldier whose grip on his rifle was loose with exhaustion.

His voice broke. "We can't just leave them-"

"babe, I'm sorry" Dohyun said coldly. "We have to."

Jihoon stepped back, stunned.

And behind the barricade, someone screamed.

As they finally back in the car.

Jihoon stared at his hands. His lips trembled, but he didn't speak.

Dohyun drove in silence.

The engine rumbled through the quiet like a growl too tired to warn.

"...They'll die," Jihoon whispered.

Dohyun didn't look at him.

"They were already dead."

————

The sky had shifted again.

The sharp, hot blue of daylight faded into a thick orange haze as the car finally coughed its last breath.

Dohyun felt the stutter in the engine before it even happened - the slight jerk forward, then the steady dying hum.

Jihoon blinked awake in the passenger seat, eyes swollen and groggy. "...What?"

Dohyun turned the key again. The engine spat, then fell silent.

"We're out of fuel," he said calmly.

Jihoon sat up straighter, glancing around. The road was empty.

Nothing but open fields and cracked pavement in either direction.

But ahead - maybe fifty meters - a rusted, half-burned gas station stood under the skeleton of a billboard that once read:

"CHEAPEST GAS IN THE PROVINCE! WE BEAT ALL COMPETITORS!"

The "T" had fallen off. It now read

"WE BEA ALL COMPE I ORS."

Jihoon glanced at Dohyun.

Dohyun didn't wait for the question. "We check it. Stay close."

They stepped out of the car into stillness. The kind of quiet that felt wrong.

A faint buzzing filled the air - flies, somewhere. A distant dog barked and didn't stop.

As they approached the gas station, Dohyun drew the handgun tucked in the back of his jeans.

Jihoon kept close, eyes wide, heart hammering.

The door to the convenience store hung ajar, swinging slightly in the breeze. A broken chime above it clinked with every movement.

Dohyun entered first.

Inside, the air was thick with the smell of rot and mildew. Some of the shelves had been ransacked - snacks, batteries, first-aid kits all gone. But some canned food remained, scattered on the floor.

A half-eaten apple was turning to liquid behind the counter.

And in the corner - a sound.

Dohyun raised the gun instantly.

"...No," Jihoon whispered beside him.

It was a man.

Or what used to be one.

Slumped in the corner, dried blood across his shirt, eyes gray and half-lidded, mouth twitching open and closed like a fish gasping in slow motion.

He hadn't fully turned. Not yet.

Dohyun stepped back.

"He's in transition," he muttered. "Bitten."

Jihoon grabbed his arm. "We can leave him. Please."

Dohyun stared at the man for a long moment.

Then slowly lowered the gun.

"...Let's check the pumps."

————

Outside, the pumps were still intact.

But no electricity.

The overhead lights were dead.

No hum. No power.

Jihoon slumped down next to one of the columns, wiping sweat from his forehead with a trembling hand.

Dohyun checked the back area - behind the store, where a row of emergency generators sat.

One was busted open, but the other...

He flipped the switch.

Whrrrrr...

It sputtered, coughed, then whirred into life.

Lights flickered. Power returned.

The pumps hissed.

Dohyun filled a red jerrycan they'd stored in the trunk.

Back by the pump, Jihoon sat hugging his knees. "...Three days," Jihoon said softly. "In the car. Sleeping in shifts. Eating out of cans."

Dohyun crouched beside him.

Jihoon looked at him, eyes glassy. "...Do you really think we'll make it?"

"Yes."

Jihoon gave a weak smile. "You always sound so sure."

Dohyun didn't answer.

He gently brushed Jihoon's bangs out of his face, then leaned in and kissed his forehead.

Jihoon closed his eyes. "...What would I have done if you hadn't come back?"

Dohyun rested his forehead against Jihoon's. "I'm not going to let you die again."

————

They stayed at the gas station that night. Dohyun blocked the doors with shelves and positioned a metal bat by the sleeping bags. Jihoon curled beside him, head against his chest.

The hum of the small generator pulsed faintly through the floor.

But Dohyun didn't sleep. His eyes stayed open, staring at the flickering light above.

Something was changing.

In his memory - the gas station hadn't existed on this road before.

In the past... they had run out of fuel near an old farm, not here.

This wasn't just déjà vu anymore.

The future was changing.

And something about that - terrified him.

————

The third night inside the abandoned gas station was the coldest yet.

Wind howled through broken panes, rattling loose boards.

Dohyun sat against the wall, shotgun balanced across his knees.

Jihoon lay curled beside him, breath warm against his chest, sleeping lightly.

Knock knock.

Low. Hollow. Desperate.

Dohyun's spine went rigid.

No.

Not tonight.

He rose in silence, eyes sharp, every nerve pulled taut. He motioned for Jihoon to stay down. Jihoon stirred, sensing it instantly. "What is it?"

Another knock, followed by hushed voices - panicked, trembling.

"Please... anyone? We're not infected-please, help!"

Jihoon sat up, blinking fast. "Dohyun, someone's outside."

"I know."

Dohyun crept to the boarded window and peeked through a crack.

Four silhouettes in the dark.

Covered in dirt.

One holding someone limp in their arms.

His breath hitched.

Yuri. Junghyuk. Youngseok. Suho.

A cold pit opened in his stomach. It was like seeing ghosts.

Yuri, with her cracked glasses and smudged face-

Junghyuk, unconscious, slumped in Youngseok's arms-

Youngseok, shoulders hunched under weight he couldn't carry-

And Suho, standing like nothing had ever gone wrong.

Memories struck like bullets.

Jihoon gently tugged his sleeve. "They need help..."

He stepped back. "No."

Jihoon turned to him. "What? What do you mean?"

"We don't open that door."

Jihoon blinked. "But-Dohyun, they're hurt."

"I know exactly who they are."

Jihoon looked at him, confused. "You do?"

"They're people f—from my past. The one that made me collapsed. If they made it out, it's for a reason..."

"...Dohyun you can't predict the future"

Dohyun shook his head once, firm. "You don't know what they've done."

But I do.

Another knock.

"Please-someone's unconscious-!"

Jihoon's voice was small. "They're human."

"Humans kill too," Dohyun replied coldly. "Don't let the crying fool you."

"Dohyun..." Jihoon stepped in front of him. His voice still quiet-but trembling, not from fear. From hope.

"I know you're scared. I know something happened."

Dohyun clenched his jaw. "You have no idea."

"I don't," Jihoon said. "But I know one thing. If someone knocks asking for help and we turn them away... we're not people anymore."

That hit harder than anything else.

Dohyun looked at the door. Then at Jihoon.

"Jihoon..." His hand faltered.

"Please," Jihoon whispered. "Just check. If anything's wrong, if you still feel wrong-then don't open it. But listen to me-now I'm here, that would change the future"

Silence.

Dohyun let out a long breath. Then stepped to the door. Gun raised. Careful.

He opened it just enough to peer out. And there they were.

These people... they led him to the end once.

He remembered the betrayal, the begging, the deaths. The nights he woke screaming. The stench of blood.

But Jihoon is here now.

This time would be different.

Right?

He opened the door slowly, enough to see their faces clearly.

Dirty. Exhausted. So familiar.

"...Who are you?" he asked, voice cold, distant.

Yuri stepped forward, coughing. "Please, we're not infected. We just-we've been running for days-he's hurt-"

Youngseok shifted Junghyuk on his back, his lips cracked. "We had nowhere else to go. Please."

Suho raised his hands. Still too clean. Still too confident. "We're not here to fight. Just shelter. Few hours. We'll leave if you want."

Jihoon stepped closer to him and whispered, "Please... Dohyun."

Dohyun didn't blink. His eyes locked on Suho. "You. First. Alone."

Suho frowned, confused. "What?"

"If you're clean, you won't mind going in first."

There was a tense silence-but Suho obeyed, stepping inside slowly.

Dohyun checked him.

No weapons. No blood. Still, he didn't trust the calm in his voice.

He let the rest inside, one by one.

They collapsed near the shelves-shivering, panting, and broken.

Yuri wiped her nose and said through clenched teeth, "I'm Yuri. This is Junghyuk. His ankle is twisted. We barely made it."

She pointed to Junghyuk's ankle, wrapped but looked swollen. Unconscious. "We had no where to go, and it's hard to move when someone's injured."

Jihoon stared, shocked. "Ah.. I'm Jihoon, and this is Dohyun.. Is he alright??"

Yuri nodded. "Nice to meet you both and thank you for letting us in.. He'll be okay, we think."

Dohyun examined Junghyuk's body. No bites. Just bruises and blood.

"I'm Youngseok," the man murmured. "And... Suho."

Suho met Dohyun's eyes with the same steady look as before.

Dohyun didn't return it.

————

They shared food. Water. Silence.

The sound of the heater hum in the corner. It felt like another world.

Suho broke the stillness. "Only this? Didn't think a rich boy would eat canned beans."

Jihoon blinked. "H-huh?"

Yuri looked at him properly for the first time. And then blushed.

"Wait. You're... you're Kim Dohyun."

Suho let out a breathy scoff. "Son of Kim Dohwa himself. Looks like money doesn't mean much when the world's dead, huh?"

Dohyun said nothing, eyes on his weapon, polishing it slowly and steadily.

Yuri fumbled awkwardly. "I heard about you... you were always so... serious. Distant. Kinda... untouchable."

Jihoon tilted his head. "Untouchable?"

"N-no I mean-" Yuri said quickly, flustered. "Ugh.. Nevermind.. I'm sorry.."

Dohyun didn't respond, but Jihoon leaned a little closer, eyes glinting in the dim light as he chuckled "Well... now he's very touchable."

Yuri blinked and laughed softly, a little embarrassed. Suho rolled his eyes. Youngseok said nothing.

Dohyun didn't smile.

————

When the others finally fell asleep, curled near the heater, Dohyun sat awake.

He couldn't stop staring. These were the same people who once stood beside him. And then one by one—they fell.

[Yuri, bitten while saving a child who turned in her arms.

Junghyuk, shielding a door that never held.

Youngseok, devoured while fixing the barricade.

Suho, the last to turn away. The one who opened the gate.

The one who destroyed everything.]

Wait... But what reason suho did that?

For god's sake. Now they were here, again.

Dohyun sat against the wall, back straight, shotgun across his lap. His eyes scanned the shadows.

Beside him, Jihoon shifted under the blanket, head resting lightly against Dohyun's shoulder. It had been a long day.

Dohyun glanced down-only to find Jihoon's eyes slightly open, watching him.

He blinked. "I thought you were asleep."

Jihoon smiled lazily. "You're warm."

A small huff left Dohyun's lips. He ruffled Jihoon's hair. "Go to sleep, babe."

"I can't sleep."

"Hm? You should try. You need energy."

Jihoon nudged his cheek against Dohyun's shoulder. "I want to ask you something."

Dohyun sighed softly. "Yeah?"

"You said you knew them. The people we let in... Can you tell me about them?"

A beat passed.

Dohyun's gaze dropped to the sleeping figures across the station. His voice was low when he spoke. "Yuri... she was a med student. Brave. Naive at first, but... she did everything I asked."

"Everything, huh?" Jihoon teased gently.

Dohyun's expression softened. "Without you, I was just... a stoic bastard. She followed my lead. I felt that loyalty. She's a good medic. She saved people. Tried, even when it was hopeless."

Jihoon nodded, quiet.

"And?" he prompted.

"Youngseok," Dohyun said. A flicker of something passed over his face. "He's a genius. A madman too. You give him scrap and duct tape, and he builds a flamethrower. Or a tripwire bomb. I used to come up with the crazy ideas... and he'd just make them real."

"Woah..." Jihoon murmured. "He sounds amazing."

"He is. He's the best engineer I ever met."

There was a pause.

"...What about the guy with the neat hair?" Jihoon asked.

Dohyun didn't answer right away. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Suho," he muttered. "I don't know much. He's the son of my father's business rival. I don't even know how he ended up in the same group. Maybe he has a grudge. I wouldn't trust him too fast."

Jihoon lifted his head slightly. "Got it, babe. I'll keep my distance."

Dohyun reached out, brushing Jihoon's cheek. "Just don't get too close, okay? He's... slippery."

Jihoon smiled faintly. "And the last guy?"

"Junghyuk," Dohyun said. A strange shadow flickered in his expression. "He's a fighter. Talented as hell. I don't even know what to call him-assassin, sniper, demolitionist-he's all of it. In the past..."

He hesitated. "...He cleared entire buildings alone. Fast. Quiet. Efficient."

Jihoon looked surprised. "So he was on your side?"

"As long as he's pointed in the right direction," Dohyun said quietly. "But if he ever turned on us... I wouldn't want to face him."

"Damn," Jihoon whispered. "You really have met them."

"Told you."

Jihoon watched him for a moment, then murmured, "You're surprised to see them again, aren't you?"

Dohyun chuckled dryly. "Surprised is putting it lightly."

Jihoon shifted closer, warmth pressing into Dohyun's side. "Hm... but-"

"No more talking." Dohyun leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Jihoon's forehead. "Go to sleep, my cute baby."

Jihoon squinted at him, pretending to pout. "You're really naggy sometimes, you know that?"

"I only nag my tired baby with the heavy eyes."

Jihoon's lips twitched upward.

"...Okay," he whispered.

And just like that, he was out.

Dohyun turned back toward the darkness. The barrel of the shotgun rested again in his lap. The firelight flickered on the others' faces.

He didn't notice it.

But in the far corner-Junghyuk lay perfectly still.

Eyes closed.

But very much awake.

And listening.

————

The sun rose sluggishly behind the ash-colored sky. A dull glow filtered through the broken glass windows of the gas station, casting long shadows over the concrete floor.

Junghyuk stirred first, groaning low.

Yuri was at his side in seconds, her hand already pressing against his forehead.

"Ugh... Where the hell am I?"

"Fever's going down," she murmured. "Pulse is steady."

Jihoon knelt beside her, offering a damp towel. "You're safe now. Just rest... Does it hurt anywhere?"

Junghyuk blinked, his gaze still hazy. "Feels like I got hit by a truck." He tried to laugh but winced instead. "My ankle-shit..."

"You're lucky," Yuri muttered. "You nearly bled out. Honestly? Shouldn't be alive."

Jihoon chuckled and unscrewed a water bottle. "Here. Sip slowly. I'm Jihoon, by the way."

Junghyuk accepted the drink with a quiet nod. His lips barely moved, but his eyes - still dulled from blood loss - subtly tracked Jihoon's hand, Yuri's watchful posture... and then drifted toward the others outside.

Across the lot, Dohyun crouched beside Youngseok as they worked silently on the car. One of the back windows was being reinforced with scrap metal. The front bumper now looked like a weapon, armored with steel rods and sharpened plates.

Youngseok straightened and wiped his hands. "She'll hold a bit longer. And-" he glanced at the solar battery, "fully charged."

Dohyun nodded once. "Good. I'll take first shift driving."

Then-

"I've got a better plan."

Suho. Standing a few paces away, arms folded like some backseat general. He strode forward, head tilted slightly up. "We should head south. Jeju Island. They said they were setting up a quarantine center there, remember? Before everything cut off."

Youngseok looked up, blinking. "Jeju?"

Suho smirked. "Makes sense, right? Natural isolation. If the infection didn't reach by air, it might still be uninfected. Plus, I know the southern coast well. My uncle had a private resort villa down there."

Junghyuk's brows twitched faintly. His gaze shifted to Dohyun.

But Dohyun didn't even flinch. Instead, he stepped forward.

Calm. Controlled. Cold.

"He's right. Jeju's goal. But we're not getting there in one trip."

The group turned to him, surprised by the certainty in his voice.

"We'll need supplies-food, fuel, medicine. Ammunition. And the roads south... not safe. Bridges may be gone."

Yuri nodded, thoughtful. "We could take the coastal route. Smaller towns, less dense. Fewer infected."

"Exactly," Dohyun said. "We'll stop only when it's secure. No fire. No light after dark. One night max at each site."

Jihoon looked over. "And if it rains?"

"Then we stay. But only until the storm passes."

Suho scoffed. "You talk like this is a military op."

Dohyun's stare didn't waver. "I talk like someone who doesn't want us dead."

Silence stretched between them. Jihoon's hand gently brushed Dohyun's arm - a quiet anchor.

Youngseok finally broke it. "He's right. We move city to city. Like scavenger ghosts. Fast and quiet. Jeju's not gonna wait for us."

And then-

From the gas station's doorway, a hoarse voice cut in:

"Then let's win it." Junghyuk. Leaning on Yuri for support. Pale but alert. Watching.

Dohyun turned as Junghyuk limped closer. Their eyes met - just for a second.

Dohyun looked away first.

But Junghyuk didn't. He watched Dohyun step into the middle of the lot, glance around like a commander inspecting his team.

"We rest here one more night," Dohyun said. "At dawn, we move. First stop—Buan. Still had solar stations when things fell apart. Might still be something left."

He looked at Suho. "No heroics. No splitting up."

Suho raised a brow, mock salute. "Got it, Captain."

Dohyun didn't reply. His gaze had already turned distant - calculating.

Junghyuk squinted at him. From where he stood, it wasn't hard to see the signs:

That sharp control. That eerie confidence.

And most of all... the way he already knew.

About Jeju. About Buan. About everything.

It wasn't just intuition.

"Who the hell are you really?" Junghyuk thought silently. "You talk like a man who's been through this before... But how could you possibly-"

He said nothing.

Just leaned his head back against the wall, pretending to rest. Eyes closed.

But from that point on, he started watching Dohyun more carefully.

Because whatever game was playing here-

Dohyun wasn't just a survivor.

He was something else entirely.

————

That night, the gas station felt almost... peaceful.

No screams.

No chaos.

Only the wind brushing past the broken windows, the soft flicker of candlelight, and the occasional crack of the firewood pile outside.

Inside, warmth gathered like a fragile bubble around a small group-Yuri, Jihoon, and Junghyuk-huddled together on a dusty blanket. Junghyuk sat upright now, though one arm was wrapped stiffly in a torn bandage. A blanket rested over his shoulders, but his eyes moved constantly-quietly tracking everything, especially him.

Dohyun.

Who sat by the window, alone, barely lit by the firelight-his eyes sharp and distant, watching the road. Watching for danger. Watching... everything.

Junghyuk caught himself staring. Again.

He masked it with a smile and turned back to the others.

"You really climbed through the wrong window?" Jihoon asked, his voice warm and teasing.

Junghyuk rubbed his face dramatically. "I thought it was the dorm room! I ended up in a closet full of mops and bleach."

Yuri gasped, covering her mouth, then burst into laughter. "No way—so that's why you smelled like detergent for a week?"

"I was stuck in there for three hours," Junghyuk groaned. "Sat on a mop bucket. Pride? Gone."

"You're incredible," Jihoon said, still chuckling, handing him another piece of protein bar.

"You say that like I meant to be dumb," Junghyuk said, lips twitching. "But I'll take the compliment."

Jihoon smiled, then tilted his head, watching Yuri with a spark of admiration. "Yuri, you're so cool though... patching up Junghyuk like that. You really are a med student, huh?"

Yuri blinked. "Huh? Oh, yeah-of course I-wait. How did you know I'm a med student?"

Jihoon froze.

A beat passed.

"Ah-I mean-you know, just... the way you talk! And how you treated his wound-so calm and amazing!" He scratched his cheek, flustered. "Just a lucky guess...?"

Yuri giggled, brushing it off. "Hehe~ well, I am amazing, thank you."

But Junghyuk's smile stayed still.

His gaze flicked to Jihoon for half a second longer than needed.

And then... to Dohyun.

That conversation from the night before...

Whispered under the hush of night, while he pretended to sleep—Jihoon asking, "You really knew them?" Dohyun's voice, low and nostalgic,"Junghyuk? Assassin, sniper... he once cleared an entire building alone."

But he'd never done one of them yet.

He hadn't even said his name properly either.

"So how the hell did he know me so well?"

Junghyuk leaned back, letting out a fake laugh to match the others, but his mind buzzed. He kept watching. Not directly. Never directly. But every time Dohyun shifted by the window or gave a quiet order... Junghyuk's eyes found him again.

And he felt it:

That weight in Dohyun's stare.

Not cold. Not distant.

But... like someone looking at a photo of someone long dead.

"Why does he look at me like that?

What did he see?"

Outside, the scene was no lighter.

Dohyun sat in silence, shotgun across his lap. He hadn't joined the laughter. Not even once.

Jihoon walked out quietly, a thin blanket draped around his shoulders. "Baby," he murmured. "You should come sit with us."

Dohyun didn't turn. "I'm fine here."

"Dohyun."

Still quiet.