Magic on the Dead Chapter 96

A desktop clock, various food items, and toiletries were packed into a folksy-looking bundle. After grabbing their weapons from the tool box in the shoe closet, Hajin and Eden had an early breakfast with Pie and left the old apartment.

Leaving the quiet neighborhood, they passed an industrial complex where blue slate roofs were clustered together and entered the Hwajeong-Insu Road.

While they forged a new path, veering from their originally planned route on the Gyeongbu Expressway, Hajin wore a dazed expression the entire time, as if he had a screw loose.

“…I think it would be good to stop by the outlet and stay the night. What do you think, Mr. Do Hajin?”

“…”

“Mr. Do Hajin?”

“Yes?”

Eden stared blankly at him for reacting a beat too late, then asked again.

“According to the sign, there’s an outlet 5km away. I was asking what you thought about resting there.”

“Ah… that’s good, yes.”

“The weather has been unusual lately, as if it’s the rainy season. While we’re there, let’s look for a waterproof windbreaker or a raincoat, and get some sturdy shoes too.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Hajin nodded, barely listening. As they started walking again, Eden suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Are you feeling very unwell?”

He scanned Hajin meticulously with a sharp gaze and reached out his hand. At the ticklish touch on his forehead, Hajin jumped in spite of himself.

“I’m, I’m fine.”

As a few quick steps rapidly widened the distance between them, Eden’s hand stopped awkwardly in mid-air. At the same time, a deep furrow formed between his brows.

Failing to see the darkened expression, Hajin rubbed the tips of his flushed ears and quickened his pace. With his back to Eden, his face began to turn a proper shade of red and blotchy.

Even when he tried not to think about it, the ticklish sensation of his inner thighs rubbing together and his swollen lips vividly brought back the scene of last night’s lovemaking. That is to say, from the moment he woke up and all the way across Hwajeong City without a break… Hajin had been ruminating on his sex with Eden.

The more he tried to cut off the thought, the more vivid the sensations became. The breath whispered into his ear, the sticky moans, the firm grip that had seized his genitals, his upper body being pushed back by the beast-like thrusts of his hips, and even those half-lidded pupils.

Like an immature youth who had just had his first experience, his head grew hot just from making eye contact, so it was difficult to have a single proper conversation all day.

‘Let’s just stop thinking about it…’

In contrast, Eden’s attitude was not much different from usual. He did not blush like he did, nor did he do something as foolish as moving his left arm and left leg at the same time.

‘I need to confirm whether it’s simple lust or affection. It must be the same for you, Mr. Do Hajin.’

Could it be that Jung Taegeon had already found his answer? Or was I the only one placing too much meaning on a one-night fling?

While dealing with a zombie whose face was half blown-off, while sitting on the street to eat a meal, and even while taking a short rest using Pie as a pillow, Hajin’s mind was constantly filled with question marks.

“Mr. Do Hajin, we’re here.”

Just then, Eden grabbed the scruff of his neck as he was about to walk past the main gate of the outlet. Hajin, who stopped in his tracks, looked around with a bewildered gaze. A large, semicircular sign that read ‘Premium Outlet’ was mounted above his head.

The buildings, which seemed to have been modeled after Italian Mediterranean architecture, were gathered together, and even from the outside, the scale was considerable. While the two of them stood still, gauging the size of the desolate space, Pie began to bare his teeth and guard his surroundings.

“Will it be okay?”

At his cautious question, Eden’s finger pointed to a rectangular information sign. The sign showed a structural map of the buildings, which were divided into four sections, along with detailed brand names.

“It should be fine as long as we avoid the area with the restaurants and the vicinity of the underground parking lot. First, let’s go to that building over there with the sporting goods stores.”

Fortunately, Section A, which Eden pointed to, was in a remote location, separate from the other buildings, and it was also the closest building to where they were standing.

Whoom— Whoooom—

A dreary sound, impossible to tell if it was a zombie’s howl or the wind cutting between the buildings, rang in his eardrums. Hajin belatedly felt the back of his neck grow damp with tension and gulped.

The senses he had failed to notice while thinking only of his sex with Eden were now gradually returning. The heat from the soles of his feet, which felt like they were burning up from the long walk, and the weight of the bundle on his back felt like a thousand pounds.

When he frowned at the beads of sweat trickling down his forehead, Eden immediately reached out his hand. Startled by the delicate touch wiping away the sweat on his eyebrows, Hajin subtly pulled his head back.

Eden stared silently at Hajin’s retreating face, then suddenly warned him in a low, sunken voice.

“Don’t avoid my touch. I believe I mentioned this last time.”

“…”

“I’m telling you one last time, in case you’ve forgotten.”

The words “last time” somehow made him feel uneasy. It did not seem like a warning that would be shared between typical colleagues, so Hajin was puzzled, but his mind quickly went blank at the ticklish touch that approached once again.

His wet bangs were brushed to the side, and his eyes squeezed shut.

Fuck.

Something was seriously, deeply wrong. Feeling a stir in his chest, he swallowed the curse that was rising up. If he could, he wanted to faint right then and there.

“Are you going to keep being so obvious?”

But at the unexpected reprimand that followed, he had no choice but to slowly lift his closed eyelids.

“…Pardon?”

“I am just as embarrassed and awkward as you are, Mr. Do Hajin. I’m trying my best to act as normal as possible, so please help me out.”

Whoom— Whoom—

The resonance of unknown origin was still thudding dully against his ears. Belatedly understanding Eden’s words, Hajin’s mouth fell foolishly open.

…Embarrassed and awkward? That Jung Taegeon? He met Eden’s eyes with faint disbelief at the incredible statement, but he could not find a single trace of playfulness in that serious face.

“Let’s talk about this tonight. For now, let’s just focus on getting inside safely.”

Unsure of how to even reply, Hajin furtively averted his gaze. As he looked at a large, bear-shaped sculpture and a withered fountain, his eyelashes trembled like the flutter of an exhausted butterfly’s wings.

The outlet was so gloomy and dreary it looked like a ghost might appear. Black bloodstains and rotten pieces of flesh were splattered all over the walls and floor, as if a great commotion had taken place. A pile of corpses was stacked on the escalator leading to Section B, and the zombies trapped in the gaps were busy flailing their rotten hands and feet.

He had expected it, but at the far more gruesome and dizzying scene, Hajin unknowingly pressed himself close to Eden’s side. Pie circled anxiously around a mannequin sprawled on the floor and a corpse that was only a lower body.

“There aren’t many zombies around, maybe because there are no people.”

Lowering his voice as much as possible, he stealthily grabbed Eden’s hem. Eden looked at the hand pulling his shirt and smiled faintly.

The two hid themselves as much as possible to avoid any sign of zombies and searched the stores. However, most of the high-end brand stores had been completely stripped of their clothes, and their glass doors were broken, making them unsuitable for hiding for a night.

Just as he was starting to worry that this might be a wasted trip, he found a low-end hiking apparel store located at the end of the building. Fortunately, the entrance door opened easily, and the inside of the store was so neat that there were no traces of a break-in.

“All the luxury brands are cleaned out, but this place is fine…”

To think that humans would loot necessities based on the brand, even in a ruined world. Just how vain of a creature was man? Hajin shook his head, dumbfounded.

Eden, who entered first, meticulously checked the inside of the fitting rooms and the warehouse where boxes were stacked.

“Let’s set up here for today.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hajin laid his tired body down on the dust-covered floor. After walking for eleven hours without a break, his body felt like it was melting into jelly.

Eden, who came to his side, likewise threw off the bundle he was carrying and lay down on the floor next to Hajin.

“Hoo…”

A short silence followed someone’s weary sigh. Hajin gulped, forcing his eyes toward the colorful hiking shoes and functional t-shirts displayed on the wall racks.

‘Damn it.’

Contrary to his melting body, his mind was gradually becoming clearer. With the person of interest who had stirred his mind into a mess all day lying next to him, resting did not feel like resting. After hesitating for a moment, he eventually forced his tired body to get up.

“Where are you going?”

“I feel sticky, so I’m going to wash up first.”

“Let’s go together.”

Eden got up from his spot to follow Hajin as if it were a matter of course. Hajin, his face stiffening with bewilderment, waved his hands.

“You rest. The bathroom is right next door anyway, so it’s not far, and I’ll go first and…”

“You were the one who said we should stick together, as the rule is to work in pairs of two, Mr. Do Hajin. Have you forgotten your own words?”

“…”

“Let’s go.”

Without even waiting for Hajin’s answer, he grabbed two short-sleeved shirts and two pairs of shorts from the rack and took the lead.