ji-wan slowly put her hand out, palm facing up. the girl widened her eyes and quickly scooted backwards in panic. ji-wan flinched but she took a deep breath before reaching out her hand again. "don't worry, i won't hurt you. were on the same side," ji-wan said softly and smiling gently. the girl looked hesitant but ji-wan was patient and eventually, the girl moved forwards slowly. the girl timidly put her hand in ji-wan's as she made her way out of the cabinet.

"i'll hold that," deok-joong said all of a sudden, moving towards the girl who gasped and grabbed onto ji-wan's arm. ji-wan looked at a shocked deok-joong before looking at the girl who seemed to be holding onto her for life. "let me get that for you," ji-wan said softly, grabbing the rifle out the girl's hand so it's easier for her. the small group made their way out of the building. when the sunlight went onto the girl's face, she gasped before burring her face into ji-wan's shoulder and wrapping her arms around ji-wan's.

"it's okay. it's safe now," jiwan said comfortingly, making the girl look up a bit but she was still hanging onto ji-wan. they slowly made their way towards a clearing. bo-ra and the rest of the group walked down just in time to see the other half of the group walking over with a strange girl. bo-ra raised her eyebrow when she saw a random girl latching herself onto ji-wan. as they came closer, ji-wan saw a short brick wall. "sit here," said ji-wan, holding the girl's arm but she only whimpered and leaned closer. ji-wan felt a bit uncomfortable at the closeness of the girl.

ji-wan's classmates noticed that she was getting a bit uncomfortable. bo-ra gritted her teeth before she was about the rip the girl away from ji-wan but yoo-jung stepped in before she could. "why don't you take a seat," she said, trying to reach out but the girl only moved closer to ji-wan. "uhm...here," said ji-wan, sitting down on the floor so that the girl would follow as well. "it's okay now. all the spheres have been killed," sergeant won-bin said comfortingly. yoo-jung caressed the girl's back, "what happened?," she asked. the girl slowly turned to look at yoo-jung before she turned to look at the other students who were circling her. "is this a dream?," she asked.

the other group came closer to them, at first it seemed like they were comforting a girl but they couldn't pinpoint who the girl was. "i think they also have survivors," said deok-joong, making ji-wan look back. "don't step on her," the girl whispered. ji-wan turned back to look at the girl and where she was looking at. ae-seol widened her eyes before quickly stepping off of a corpses' arm. "don't step on her," she said more clearly. "i'm sorry," she said. the girl started breathing deeply before crawling onto her feet before walking over to the corpse.

"don't step on her. don't step on my friend," cried the girl. all of a sudden, the girl started holding her head and started screaming. bo-ra quickly moved to ji-wan and helped her up. "are you okay?," asked bo-ra, holding ji-wan close. ji-wan looked up at bo-ra with doe eyes. she nodded, not being able to speak. everyone turned to look at the screaming girl who only shouted louder and louder. bo-ra held onto ji-wan's waist tightly, pulling her closer. from further away, na-ra looked at the two with hawk eyes. the girl screamed one last time before falling over into chi-yeol's arms. everyone gasped a bit before the other group rushed over.

— at shelter 8

bo-ra seemed to be glaring daggers at the new girl's back as she clung onto ji-wan. "you shouldn't be plotting the murder of a survivor," said ha-na. bo-ra clicked her tongue, "why is she sticking to her like that. ji-wan is probably uncomfortable," said bo-ra. ha-na raised an eyebrow, looking at the the girls walking ahead of them towards the hospital.

na-ra, who had not taken her eyes off of ji-wan, observed the two carefully. she had a bad feeling about the girl that was clinging onto ji-wan.

— timeskip

by the time the girl had let go of ji-wan's arm. they were sat in the middle of a library inside the hospital. her name was park yoon-seo and though there were two other survivors, ji-wan didn't really catch their names. "we were told to deliver supplies to the shelter. but when we arrived..." the survivor boy said, solemnly. lt.lee gulped, "what about the person in charge?," he asked, "we don't know. he disappeared," said the other survivor girl.

"why did you stay here without the commander in charge?,"

"we were told to wait. thats why we waited. we did as we were told,"

ji-wan furrowed her eyebrows. she never really thought about it but...they were kind of lucky to have lt.lee as their commander. he had been protecting them from the start and hadn't abandoned them even though they probably annoyed the hell out of him. the other survivor girl started sobbing. after leaving yu-jung in charge, lt.lee walked out briskly. yu-jung, who was standing beside ji-wan crouched down to yoon-seo, the survivor girl that had finally let ji-wan free.

"you must be hungry. do you want something?," asked yu-jung. ji-wan took lt.lee's seat, tilting her head to see the girl's expression. a chill ran down ji-wan'd spine as she watched yoon-seo's piercing gaze focus on lt.lee's back. "yoon-seo, are you okay?," asked ji-wan. the girl snapped out of it and turned her focus to ji-wan with a nod. ji-wan smiled softly before turning to yu-jung. "i think we should set up the tables for dinner...everyone must be hungry," said ji-wan. "yeah. how about you three stay here while we set up," yu-jung said to the survivors before the two girls walked off.

as soon as the two arrived in the other room, they started moving and arranging the scattered tables for dinner later. "jang ji-wan," said yu-jung. ji-wan looked up to see that yu-jung was still arranging desks but was looking up at her. "don't you think that yoon-seo is a bit too close for your comfort?," the girl asked. ji-wan sighed, "if given a choice, i certainly wouldn't like someone clinging onto me all the time but i feel bad," said ji-wan. yu-jung furrowed her eyebrow, "you should say something if you feel uncomfortable."

"but come one...she has been through a lot and probably needs some support right now," said ji-wan avoiding eye contact with yu-jung and getting some utensils. "ji-wan ah, you're too kind for your own good," sighed yu-jung. ji-wan just smiled, placing the utensils in different sections and bought out the packaged foods. "how about you go sit with bo-ra for dinner and i'll look after yoon-seo," said yoo-jung.

"really?!," ji-wan smiled excitedly, making yu-jung jump slightly. the two stood in silence for a moment. "i...i mean really? you don't have to do that if you don't want to," said ji-wan, her face growing red slightly. yu-jung raised an eyebrow, looking at her suspiciously before a smirk spread across her face. "no, it's alright. you enjoy your time with bo-ra," said yu-jung with a mischievous smirk on her face. ji-wan blinked, "hey! why did you say it like that!," asked ji-wan, scandalised.

"say what?," giggled yu-jung. "woah...class president i never realised how weird you were," said ji-wan, furrowing her eyebrow and jokingly backing away from the girl. "huh?! what are you saying?!," yu-jung said, lightly smacking ji-san's admiration. ji-wan laughed, "you're a big pervert!," teased ji-wan, making yu-jung smack her even more until they were both laughing uncontrollably. bang. suddenly the two girls froze when they heard something fall from a nearby book shelf.

they exchanged glances, realising how paranoid they had grown since the sphere attacks. ji-wan slowly made her way towards where the sound cams from and saw nothing but a few books on the floor. yu-jung followed behind ji-wan and furrowed her eyebrows. "thats weird..." said ji-wan. "no kidding. books just don't fall by themselves," said yu-jung. the two girls exchanged looks before putting the books back and finished setting up. "you should call the others for dinner, i'll go get yoon-seo and her friends," said yu-jung.

ji-wan nodded and started making her way towards where the others were laying down bodies. she felt uneasy as she walked there alone. the sun had hidden below the horizon and it was dark outside. the abandoned hallways were much more daunting without any source of illumination. ji-wan had been afraid of the dark when she was younger but never thought the fear would resurface. ji-wan fastened her pace as she felt herself growing uneasy.

the clapping of her shoes against the solid ground echoed through the empty hallway. the sound alone made her extremely uncomfortable to the point where she started to freak out slightly. she fastened her pace even more before she was about to turn a corner. ji-wan made a sharp turn around the corner when she bumped into someone's chest. ji-wan stumbled back as if she was going to fall but someone caught her by her waist. "are you okay?," asked a familiar voice.

ji-wan looked up to see na-ra. ji-wan never really looked closely enough at na-ra but now that she was, she realised how pretty the girl was. "yeah... sorry, i wasn't paying attention to where i was going," said ji-wan. na-ra tilts her head slightly. "why were you walking so fast? i could hear your footsteps," said na-ra. ji-wan felt embarrassed all of a sudden, "uhm...i guess i kind if just got a bit freaked out," she said as she tried her best to avoid eye contact with na-ra.

na-ra bit the inside of her cheek, stopping herself from smiling at ji-wan. her heart was beating rapidly in her chest and a feeling that she couldn't describe other than with the word giddy consumed her. "let me walk you to where ever you were going," said na-ra with a smile. ji-wan felt her face get flushed. "okay," she said. na-ra let go of ji-wan's waist as the two started walking towards where the others were. "everyone, its time for dinner," said ji-wan. the rest of her classmates felt a bit relieved to finally be able to walk away from spending so much time with dead bodies, majority of students being their age.

it was an understatement to say that bo-ra felt a hurricane of jealousy engulf her when she saw ji-wan with na-ra. bo-ra gritted her teeth. first she had that other girl latching onto her and now na-ra. ji-wan smiled when she saw the latter. "bo-ra yah, come lets go eat," said ji-wan, grabbing a hold of both-ra's hand. however, bo-ra stood frozen in her spot making ji-wan tilt her head in confusion. "are you okay?," asked ji-wan, "yeah," bora said shortly before she walked away from ji-wan's hold.

ji-wan was left dumbfounded. she watched as bo-ra walked away with the group of students. had she done something to make bo-ra mad? was bo-ra even mad? ji-wan wasn't able to recall one time that bo-ra was mad at her. if someone was mad between the two, it would usually be ji-wan but even then, it wasn't that serious. watching the scene unfold, na-ra raised an eyebrow before she made her way towards ji-wan. "is something wrong?," she asked. ji-wan faked a smile, "nope," she said before the two of them started walking.

"we don't really talk much do we," asked na-ra, pulling ji-wan out of her clouded mind. ji-wan smiled, "i guess not...we never really got an opportunity," she said. na-ra nodded, "what's your favourite colour," she asked. ji-wan looked at the girl weirdly as if she was wearing clown make up. "what?," asked na-ra. "that was such a random question," chuckled ji-wan. "it would be random if i did know your favourite colour but...i don't so," na-ra pursed her lips.

ji-wan chuckled at na-ra's antics. na-ra is cute. "pink," said ji-wan before asking na-ra the same question. "i like blue," said na-ra. "you know, i heard somewhere that people that like pink and people that like blue make the best couple," ji-wan said, absentmindedly. "oh really?,"asked na-ra. ji-wan nodded. "then should we test it out?," na-ra asked. ji-wan widened her eyes, snapping her head to look at na-ra who looked serious. ji-wan was at a loss for words as she opened and closed her mouth.

na-ra chuckled, "relax ji-wan. i was joking," she said which seemed to take a blockage out of ji-wan's throat and she was finally able to talk. "you really got me there na-ra. i wasn't expecting that," laughed ji-wan. na-ra smiled, watching ji-wan walk ahead slightly, "you really bought that?," she asked but it was too quiet for ji-wan to hear.

—

everyone got their food, which was just packets of food that they gave out in the army, everyone started talking their seats. ji-wan thought that it'd be best if she gave bo-ra sone space because she seemed mad at her for some reason. ji-wan sat with il-ha and they started talking about some packets of cigarettes that hee-rak had. ji-wan laughed when il-ha pitched an idea to steal it from him. ji-wan got a feeling similar to that of a few pairs of eyes on her. she looked up to meet eyes with yoon-seo.

ji-wan gulped under yoon-seo's intense gaze. suddenly, yoon-seo got up and slowly walked off somewhere. what the hell? was it a new trend for everyone to get mad at ji-wan? yu-jung made eye contact with ji-wan and signalled for her to go after yoon-seo with her. yu-jung and ji-wan got up in sync and made their way towards where yoon-seo had disappeared. bo-ra gripped her spoon as she watched ji-wan disappear out of her site.

ji-wan and yu-jung crept into the open space that was closed in by multiple bookshelves. they were in the library again. "why are you holding a rifle?," asked yu-jung. ji-wan furrowed her eyebrows, holding yu-jung's arm. yoon-seo looked down at the rifle. then she raised it up to her chin. ji-wan and yu-jung froze in their spots. "what are you doing?," "yoon-seo...stop," the girls said cautiously. "i...ran away. my friends. they asked me for help but i ran away alone," yoon-seo started to cry.

"no. its not your fault," said yu-jung softly as she saw yoon-seo's finger shaking on the trigger. "there was nothing you could do," said ji-wan, trying to take a step forward but yoon-seo widened her eyes at the action. "put down the rifle...its dangerous," said yu-jung, trying to hold back ji-wan from trying to approach her. "yoon-seo please," begged ji-wan and the latter finally took the rifle away from her head. from the shadows of the room, lt.lee crept out and widened his eyes at the scene.

yoon-seo started panicked. "don't come close!," she shouted, pointing the rifle towards their direction. ji-wan widened her eyes as lt.lee slightly stepped forward to shelter them. yu-jung and ji-wan held onto each other. "you name is yoon-seo right? i know you've suffered a lot in fear. from now on, well protect you so put down the rifle," he said softly, slowly approaching yoon-seo. the girl looked between lt.lee, yu-jung and ji-wan before she slowly put down the rifle.

"we were told that we just had to do as we were told. that we should wait," yoon-seo walked closer to then with a crazed look in her eyes. "i know you'll run away as well," she said accusingly. "yoon-seo," lt.lee said, stepping forward but the girl pulled up the rifle once more. "extra points?," scoffed yoon-seo, "whats the big deal? what does is it worth?!," she shouted, tears flooding her eyes. beside ji-wan, yu-jung winced with tears flooding her eyes.

ji-wan held her close, trying to calm her pounding heart. "i don't believe you anymore. because if you people, you adults, all my friends died," yoon-seo cried. "you killed them all! you killed them all!," she shouted before her finger filled the trigger. yu-jung screamed, "no!," as her and ji-wan crouched onto the floor, covering their ears and lt.lee and won-bin went rolling onto the floor. ji-wan widened her eyes as she watched a lifeless won-bin on the floor.

ji-wan screamed in fear as she scrambled to the man's side. "oh my god!," she yelped as lt.lee uncovered his blood soaked clothes underneath his vest. "what do we do. oh my god," mumbled yu-jung as lt.lee slid won-bin's body to sit up right against the wall. ji-wan placed her hands against the gun shot wound to stop the bleeding. "no, no, no, no, no," she mumbled as blood kept oozing out of won-bin's body. "here, use this," said yu-jung, passing ji-wan a white cloth. the girl pressed it against the wound with all that she had so that won-bin doesn't loose any more blood.

the white cloth was painted with ji-wan's bloody hand prints. "mr.kim," weeped yu-jung. ji-wan hadn't noticed when she the rest of her classmates rushed into the room. "get the blood stopper!," shouted lt.lee. "yeon-ju, the blood stopped! quickly!," shouted yu-jung. as the others started rushing in, screams could be heard throughout the room. they all widened their wyes at the scene. bo-ra furrowed her eyebrows at seeing ji-wan cry, she tried to rush over but everyone was in the way. "what the fuck," she cursed under her breath.

il-ha was overtaken with anger as he charged at yoon-seo but chi-yeol stopped him. "its not my fault. the adults are to blame. its not my fault," said yoon-seo as she started to cry and hyperventilate. ji-wan could only see red. her blood covered hands, the now bloody red cloth and won-bin's blood soaked uniform.

— end of part 1

hi guys sorry for disappearing

i had a lot of work to do over year and since i am on break i will do my best to update more frequently :))