Author's Note: Hey, guys. If you're here, you've probably watched All of Us Are Dead. If not, be spoiled at your own risk. So I've always liked writing but in recent years, I haven't had time to devote to it properly so I'm only beginning to get back into it. I'm also still in university so this will almost never update. Sorry.
Anyway, I always thought that there was far too much of a focus on side stories and subplots that really didn't need the spotlight. Like the cop and the baby or the bullied girl. In my opinion, that time should have been spent on developing the relationships between the main characters since the show kind of focuses too much on romance. Anyways, if I ever get around to updating this thing, just know that it's mostly going to be friendship scenes with little to no romance. Hope you enjoy.
P.S. There needs to be more kdrama fanfiction. I've found it to be distinctly lacking in number and volume. I'm gonna do my part in fixing that. Without further ado, here is the chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing here. The characters, show, and all other properties belong to their respective owners, which aren't me.
Cheong-san sat dejectedly in the corner of the rooftop, arms wrapped around his knees and head buried between. Suhyeok watched him sadly. When they had decided to do rooftop confessions last night, he'd imagined it would go better for Cheong-san. He thought it was going to be like the movies or those corny k-dramas where the two childhood friends confessed their feelings for each other and realized they were meant to be together. He didn't think On-jo would have rejected him or that Cheong-san would become as depressed as he was now. And he couldn't possibly have known On-jo would become even more drawn in and distant than she'd been since I-sak's death. He understood it was a lot to take in on her part since it recontextualized a huge portion of her relationship with Cheong-san, probably years. But still. To take it this badly… Maybe it was a girl thing. He wasn't sure. He knew jackshit when it came to women.
He thought about trying to comfort them but didn't even know how to begin. For one, On-jo liked him and he didn't like her back. For him of all people to try to comfort her was practically begging for a disaster that could rival the zombies. For another, he'd never been the emotional type either, having been nothing more than a brutish thug until last year. He could fight multiple zombies by himself and protect all his classmates almost entirely on his own. But somehow, when thinking about trying to comfort Cheong-san or fighting another group of zombies, he felt like he preferred the zombies.
Sighing, he got up. There wasn't any point in overthinking it. He had always been a man of action and he needed to do something right now.
He walked over to Cheong-san and nudged him with his foot. Cheong-san looked up at him with dejected eyes.
"What do you want?" he said in a slightly irritated voice.
"Get up," Suhyeok said.
"Why?"
"I'm gonna teach you how to fight," he said. Cheong-san gave him a confused look.
"Huh?"
"I said I'm gonna-"
"Yeah, I heard you," he said, cutting him off. "What do you mean, teach me how to fight? I can fight just fine."
"No, you can run just fine. You can't fight. You need to learn," Suhyeok insisted. Cheong-san's irritation grew.
"Like I said, I can fight just fine. And running is important. If a bunch of zombies are coming after me, knowing how to fight isn't gonna help me at all."
Suhyeok sighed. "Cheong-san, you go out there almost as much as I do. You've seen how I fight against the zombies. You think you guys would have made it this far without me?" CheongsSan opened his mouth to protest but Suhyeok barreled on before he could get a word in. "And before you tell me to go teach someone else, none of them are willing to take risks like you are. You're fast and you're smart. And nothing scares you. The class needs you just as much as they need me. And yeah, you're good at running. But having to run away from three or four zombies instead of just beating them isn't a strength. It's a waste of stamina and it's gonna get you killed. You're better off just knowing how to fight." Suhyeok sighed. "Look, we already lost Gyeong-su. And it's not just him. Everyone's seen someone die. On-jo with I-sak. Dae-su with Min-ji. It's hard enough already. Everytime you and I go out there or the group has to move from one place to the next, we don't know how many of us are gonna make it. And we can't afford to lose anyone else. A lot of us are already at our breaking point. We-" he paused, remembering Gyeong-su, and a wave of emotion hit him. He took a moment to get himself back under control and when he did, he fixed Cheong-san with a stare that made it clear he wasn't taking no for an answer. "Just do it, okay? We'll all be able to breathe a bit easier knowing you can handle yourself out there."
Cheong-san continued to stare at him with irritation. Suhyeok prepared himself to argue some more but Cheong-san just sighed and got up.
"Fine," he said.
Suhyeok stared at him with surprise. "Wait, really?"
He just gave him another irritated look before sighing. "Gyeong-su was already too many," he said quietly, a pained look settling over his face. "I'll do it."
Suhyeok nodded. "Okay," he said. The two of them walked over to a secluded side of the rooftop. The group was talking amongst themselves at the moment so for the time being, they were left alone.
"So how do we do this?" Cheong-san asked. "Do we just keep fighting until I learn to beat the shit out of you?"
Suhyeok chuckled, although Cheong-san didn't join him. Clearing his throat, he shook his head. "No, that's not how this works. For me to teach you, I need to know what you can already do and what you need to learn. Then I'll start training you."
"Ok, so how do we figure that out?" Cheong-san asked. Suhyeok smiled.
"Easy," he said. "Come at me and let's see how long it takes for me to kick your ass."
Unfortunately for Cheong-san, it didn't take long. Not long at all. He was down in less than ten seconds. He asked for a rematch, giving a weak excuse like he swung his arm too hard and that he would show more control this time. Suhyeok agreed and, as if to insult him, took him down even faster this time. Growing frustrated, Cheong-san asked for another rematch and this ended much the same way. Suhyeok was giving him a pitying look, telling him that it was enough and that he didn't need any more rounds to assess him but Cheong-san didn't listen. He was frustrated, he was angry, and he didn't care if it was unfair or wrong. Right now, he just wanted to hit Suhyeok.
He charged at him again and this time, instead of trying to punch or grab him, swung a kick to his side, thinking he would catch Suhyeok off-guard. No such luck, as Suhyeok easily read the move and effortlessly caught Cheong-san's leg, trapping him, before stepping forward and smashing a kick into his side, sending him crashing back.
"Ah!" Cheong-san yelled as he fell back. He got up and glared at Suhyeok's expressionless face, as if fighting him were a bore. "You asshole!"
By now, the fight was getting attention and the other students were gathering around. "Hey, what are you guys doing?" Joon-yeong said worriedly as he moved to step in.
"It's fine, we're not fighting," Suhyeok said. Joon-yeong shot him a look that said, 'Are you kidding me?' as he tried to help Cheong-san up.
"Seriously? Cheong-san just called you an asshole after you kicked him to the ground and you're gonna tell me you two aren't fighting?"
"Sorry, that was my bad," Cheong-san said as he shrugged off Joon-yeong's help. "We're not fighting, really. He's teaching me how to fight. I just got angry and started yelling at him." He fixed his gaze on Suhyeok. "Sorry," he said and even he cringed at how unapologetic he sounded. Suhyeok didn't seem to mind as he brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it."
"Wait, why are you even teaching him how to fight?" Wu-jin asked.
"He keeps going out there," Suhyeok said. "At least this way, he'll be safer."
"Then shouldn't you be teaching all of us how to fight?" Ji-min asked.
"No," Suhyeok said. "When we go together as a group, we can all protect each other. But when Cheong-san goes alone, no one's watching his back. He needs to learn how to protect himself."
"Isn't that a skill we all should have?" Joon-yeong piped up.
"No," Suhyeok said, turning to the group. "First of all, I don't have the energy to teach all of you. It's too much work and I'm already tired enough having to run out there over and over. Second, knowing how to fight is most important for the people who go out there the most, which is me and Cheong-san."
"It's still important for all of us to learn," Ji-min insisted. "What makes Cheong-san more important than the rest of us?" She glared angrily at Suhyeok. Suhyeok turned and matched her glare with one of his own.
"Are you telling me if I taught you how to fight, that you'd go out with Cheong-san every time?" he said. Ji-min opened her mouth but couldn't figure out what to say. Suhyeok narrowed his eyes.
"Out of everyone here, Cheong-san and I have gone out the most. That's why it's most important that he learns how to fight first. When you guys are ready to go out there by yourselves, I'll teach you too. But until then, stick to staying in a group and protecting each other. We've gotten this far, haven't we?" When no further protest came from the group, he turned back to Cheong-san. "We don't need to fight anymore. I know enough. I can teach you now."
Cheong-san was still angry but he nodded and didn't say anything more. Suhyeok turned back to the group. "Everything's fine. Give us some space, okay?" The group dispersed and he turned back to Cheong-san. "Okay, are you ready?" he said. Cheong-san nodded again. Okay."
"The first thing you need to know is to attack people's weak spots," Suhyeok said. "You need to do it in a way they can't react to."
Cheong-san frowned, growing irritated again. "Obviously, I know that. Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you know you should do it, you just don't know how to do it."
"What does that mean? Stop being so confusing."
Cheong-san's attitude seemed to be getting to Suhyeok and he held back with visible effort, making Cheong-san feel slightly guilty. "It's better if I just show you. It's too hard to explain." He stepped back from Cheong-san and signaled him to fight. "I'll fight you without any punches or kicks," he said. "Let's see if you can beat me."
Despite knowing it was stupid, Cheong-san felt insulted. Did Suhyeok really think he was that weak? He shook his head. No, Suhyeok was only trying to help him. He didn't look down on Cheong-san. He never had. And more importantly, if Suhyeok's beatings had taught Cheong-san anything, it was that he needed to keep his cool, or else Suhyeok could and would take advantage of his mistakes. And when he got angry, he tended to make a lot of mistakes.
Breathing in deeply, Cheong-san readied himself. Suhyeok was one of the best fighters in the school, if not the absolute best. Not only was he strong, he was incredibly skilled. Even if he was holding back, Cheong-san would have to be careful.
He ran at Suhyeok and this time, instead of aiming for his body or face, he instead aimed for his ankle, swinging a kick at it to knock him off-balance. Although Suhyeok managed to retreat and dodge it, he seemed visibly caught off-guard and smiled a little as if he was intrigued. Cheong-san felt a little grin of his own and a small burst of excitement and advanced, still being cautious. He stayed a fair distance away, not making any sudden moves.
Suddenly, Suhyeok charged at him with all of his speed and jumped, closing the distance between them in an instant and smashed a knee into his nose, causing an explosion of pain in Cheong-san's face. His eyes watered and his vision blurred as he fell back onto the ground, banging his head in the process. He groaned, holding his nose. When his vision cleared a little, he looked down to see blood on his hands. There was also a dull, aching throb in his head where he had hit it. Suhyeok walked up to him.
"I told you I could beat you without punches or kicks," he said.
"Shut up," Cheong-san snapped at him.
"This is what I was talking about. I got close so you couldn't get away and I aimed for your nose, which is a big weak point on anyone. I hit you where you would feel the most pain and I made sure to do it so you couldn't dodge since I knew you'd try to keep your distance. That's what I mean when I say hit where it hurts the most and do it in a way they can't react to."
Cheong-san really didn't want to listen to Suhyeok give him a detailed breakdown of his asskicking. It only made him angrier. For a second, he felt the rage boil inside of him. He knew it was wrong. He knew Suhyeok was only trying to teach him and that Cheong-san was being unfair by getting angry at him. On top of that, On-jo had rejected him and it had made him irritated with everything and everyone, and right now, Suhyeok was the one taking the brunt of that. The guilt just made him even angrier and Cheong-san just wanted to scream. He wanted to scream and yell and just hit something.
He felt the rage reach a boiling point, then start to subside. Cheong-san felt himself starting to calm down and sighed. Suhyeok crouched down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry, Cheong-san," he said guiltily. "That was too much. I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine," Cheong-san said resignedly.
"No, I'm sorry. That was-"
"Suhyeok," Cheong-san said, cutting him off firmly. Suhyeok stopped talking and looked at him apologetically. "Really. It's fine." He looked down. "It's not your fault. It's mine." He sighed as he sat up and put a hand to his head in frustration, feeling so awful that he considered just crying. "I just… I feel like such shit, man. This whole thing is just… in one day, the world just decided to end. I don't know if we're gonna live through this. First, I-sak died. Then Gyeong-su died. Ms. Park is probably dead, too. I don't even know if I'm gonna see my mom again. The last time I talked to her, I was telling her I didn't like that she named the restaurant after me. Can you believe it? That was the last thing I said to her. What if I never see her again? What if the zombies got to her? What if she's dead?" The tears finally started coming and Cheong-san stifled his sobs. Suhyeok shifted so that Cheong-san was slightly hidden from view from the rest of the class. "And then I decided to tell On-jo I liked her. Like, that's what she needs right now. I just…" he trailed off. Suhyeok remained silent, quietly listening as he waited for Cheong-san to get it all out. "And she rejected me so I feel awful because of that and I'm taking it out on you when you're only trying to help me. And that's only making me angrier at myself so I take even more anger out on you. It just… I just want it to fucking stop. I hate this so much. I hate it. Goddammit,I hate it…" He trailed off and Suhyeok looked down sadly, putting an arm around Cheong-san and squeezing his shoulder reassuringly.
"This isn't easy for any of us," Suhyeok said. "I don't blame you." He sighed as he removed his arm and sat next to Cheong-san, pulling his legs in and wrapping his arms around his knees, much like Cheong-san had earlier. "You know why I keep going out there? Why I keep following you? Why I keep putting myself in danger?" he asked. He looked at Cheong-san. Cheong-san shook his head as he sniffled. "It's because I still feel guilty." This earned him a confused look and Suhyeok looked away. "I used to be a bully. I hung out with Gwi-nam and those assholes back in middle school. I was the best fighter out of all of them. While I was with them, I hurt a lot of people. I always knew it was wrong, I just liked hurting people. I liked winning. It made me feel proud." He put his hand to his head and tightly grabbed a fistful of his hair. Cheong-san could see the crushing weight of the guilt he carried. He breathed in deeply before sighing, dropping his hand. "It started off with people we didn't like or had a bone to pick with. Then we just started picking on the weakest ones. I knew it was wrong to do that, that we'd gone too far this time, but I was afraid if I left them, I wouldn't be able to find any other friends. It was a shitty excuse, I know. One day, I couldn't take it anymore and I just left. I started defending people I used to bully and stopping fights instead of starting them. People started looking at me differently but a lot of them never completely let go of their anger. I don't blame them." He looked at Cheong-san and smiled ruefully. "You only knew me since I came here. You didn't see what I used to do back in middle school. When I think about that…" He chuckled humorlessly. "It's not like I wanna die or anything. But… I don't think it would be such a bad thing if I did." He looked back at Cheong-san. "You have to live through this, Cheong-san. Even if I don't. You're a good guy. You need to get out of here. Get back to your mom. Make things right. And you need to protect On-jo." He stood up and offered a hand to Cheong-san. "It's fine if you get angry. This isn't supposed to be easy and I get that it's frustrating. So get angry. Get mad. Yell all you want. Just don't give up, okay? You have to be strong. Most of our class already doesn't have any hope. In a way, we're the only ones keeping everyone going. If you lose hope too… It won't be long before we all fall apart. So just stay strong. We'll get through this. All of us."
Cheong-san stared at him for a second before he grabbed his hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. He rubbed his aching nose, wincing at the sudden pain, before relaxing. At Suhyeok's guilty look, Cheong-san smiled, hoping it was convincing. "I'm fine, dude," he said. "Okay, let's get back to it."
Much later, Cheong-san lay on the ground, breathing hard. Suhyeok was none the worse for wear, although he was panting slightly. He rubbed his cheek where Cheong-san had punched him earlier. There was also a dull ache in his side where he had kicked him.
"You did good, kiddo," he said as he sat down and patted Cheong-san's head.
"Shut up," Cheong-san said as he brushed his hand away. Suhyeok chuckled. "You're an asshole. You couldn't even hold back a little? I thought the knee to the face was the worst thing you would do. That felt like mercy compared to this fight. You bastard." Even as he said it, he chuckled at how ridiculously strong Suhyeok was.
"You did manage to land a few hits," Suhyeok said, to which Cheong-san rolled his eyes.
"Two," he said with half-hearted dejection. "I managed to land two hits. You landed, what, seventy? Seven hundred?"
"You're so dramatic," Suhyeok said as he shook his head. "It was seven thousand," he said after a pause with a shit-eating grin.
"Oh, fuck off," Cheong-san said as he turned away, but he was laughing slightly. Suhyeok smiled at that before turning to look ahead at the setting sun.
For a while, they stayed silent, Suhyeok sitting up, Cheong-san lying down. Eventually, Cheong-san spoke. "Thanks, Suhyeok," he said. Suhyeok turned to look at him.
"For beating your ass?" he said jokingly. "Anytime, man."
Cheong-san chuckled. "Seriously, dude. Thanks." He slowly got up to sit, looking out at the orange sky, dashed with pink.
"For what?" Suhyeok asked.
"For this. For letting me get my anger out. God, I was... I was so hurt. So angry. It felt like I was getting killed from the inside out." He sighed before continuing. "But fighting? Cutting loose? Just being able to let my anger out? I I feel a lot better than I did before. It doesn't hurt as much with On-jo. I feel hopeful about seeing my mom again. And Gyeong-su…" He trailed off. Suhyeok looked down at the mention of their friend. "I wish I hadn't taken him for granted so much. I wish I'd stood up for him more against that bitch, Na-yeon. I wish I'd told him he was the best fucking friend I ever had and that I had the time of my goddamn life with him. I wish…" His voice got quieter. "I wish he were still alive so I could tell him all this." A few tears rolled down Cheong-san's cheeks and Suhyeok looked back out to the sky, his own eyes watering a bit. "After that, I kept thinking of some reason to hold on just a little bit longer. Find a reason to keep going. It was hard because when you don't want to live anymore, you keep having to find a reason over and over again. And it gets harder each time. When Gyeong-su became a zombie, something in me snapped. It's been hurting all this time and honestly, I was just waiting, hoping, that it would kill me soon." He shook his head as he let out a small chuckle. "I don't know what it is, but after fighting for hours… I feel better. It still hurts but not as much as before. I don't need to keep looking for a reason to keep going. I have one now. And it's good enough."
"What reason is that?" Suhyeok asked curiously as he looked back at Cheong-san. Cheong-san turned to him and smiled.
"I just want to live," he said. "I'm still in highschool, man. I'm a junior. There's too much to do right now. I'm not ready to die yet."
"What do you need to do?"
"For starters, rename my mom's restaurant."
This caused Suhyeok to laugh, and Cheong-san's smile became even wider. Suhyeok shoved his shoulder lightly, careful not to aggravate Cheong-san's aching body. "You're an idiot," he said, shaking his head. Cheong-san looked back out at the sky.
"Blame Gyeong-su," he shot back. The two of them quieted at the mention of their friend, although the silence wasn't heavy like it had been many times before. It was more wistful, lighter, like they were taking comfort in his memory rather than grieving his loss.
"I really miss him, Cheong-san," Suhyeok said, some tears of his own beginning to fall. Cheong-san shifted and put an arm around Suhyeok, squeezing his shoulder like Suhyeok had done with him.
"Me too," he said. "I know it's hard. Believe me. But he would have wanted us to get out of here. He would have wanted us to survive." He paused. "And most of all, he would have wanted us to rename my mom's restaurant."
Suhyeok laughed at that unexpected remark, shoving Cheong-san away. "Dude, shut up about that restaurant already."
Cheong-san shot him a mockingly serious look. "You don't know what it's like. My face is their logo. They didn't even get my nose right."
"It's a cartoon."
"That's even worse. They didn't get anything right."
Suhyeok laughed again as he turned away, shaking his head. The two of them sat in silence for a little while again before Cheong-san spoke.
"You don't need to feel guilty anymore, okay?" he said. Suhyeok looked at him confusingly.
"What?"
"You used to be a bully, right? That was then. This is now. And I think we all would agree you've done enough good to redeem yourself." He looked at Suhyeok and the joking vibe he had before was gone, replaced by complete seriousness. "You don't have anything left to make up for. So the next time you go out, focus on getting back, okay?" He turned back. "Gyeong-su was already too many."
Suhyeok stared at him for a second before nodding. "I understand. I'll make it back. I promise."
"Good." Cheong-san stretched, before groaning as he aggravated his sore and aching muscles. "Ah, fuck. Ow." Despite himself, Suhyeok chuckled before he could help it. Cheong-san shot him a death glare.
"This is your fault, asshole," he said, although there was no bite to his words.
"No, it's yours," he said. "You're the one who sucks at fighting."
"You didn't need to beat the shit out of me to teach me."
"That's what amateurs say."
"I'm gonna kill you," Cheong-san said, dragging his broken body towards him. Suhyeok laughed.
"Funny, you said the same thing while we were fighting. How well did that go for you again?"
"I hate you!" Cheong-san whined.
"Gyeong-su taught me well," Suhyeok said with a grin.
"Come back here, you fucker!"
As the two made their way back to the group, Suhyeok felt like a lead weight had been lifted off his chest and he could breathe a bit easier. What Cheong-san said. He'd needed to hear that from someone. Just to know that he wasn't still a bad guy. He knew it was going to be hard. He knew not all of them were gonna make it. But he had his friends. He had Cheong-san. And he had hope. And for now, that would be enough.
