Red Dot - 118

Chapter 118

The collapsed Junseong lost consciousness for a brief moment but soon opened his eyes. His companions, who had rushed over, looked at him with worried eyes.

“Ah… sorry. It’s fine, so don’t worry, everyone.”

Junseong, who had placed his hand on his dizzy head, raised his hand to signal that he was okay. He was also surprised because, in the moment he had closed and opened his eyes, he found himself in Hanseo’s arms as if he had teleported.

Junseong knew his body had reached its limit.

It made no sense to not be tired after enduring extreme tension for two days without sleep. Even now, as soon as he regained consciousness, the tension and fatigue made his head ache as if it was about to explode.

Still, he couldn’t rest easy.

‘Kang Chaeyi, when are you coming…?’

He tried to trust the note that Hanseo had found in the destroyed shelter. Considering the time and direction of her movement, it was obvious she had joined with Jang Daewook’s group, another safe route.

He had told Chaeyi to hold out for a week at the shelter, and that if she followed Dujae, she would reach the hospital. In other words, he had left a message that he would be at the hospital on the seventh day.

So, Chaeyi should have arrived here today, on the seventh day, if she believed she would find him. If she had come to the hospital much earlier, she would have stayed here waiting for him. And if Namsub had come by then, there should have been signs of resistance from people.

In Junseong’s view, Chaeyi and her group had not yet reached the hospital.

With Hanseo’s support, Junseong stood up and nervously looked at his watch. It was just about to be 11:50.

‘10 minutes…’

In 10 minutes, it would be the eighth day.

Junseong’s anxiety grew uncontrollably. Along with it, the fatigue and extreme tension made his mind scatter.

Junseong looked outside the window with anxious eyes. Just like in his dream, when the rain had stopped around midnight, the rain outside the window had lessened. The diminishing rain felt like the countdown of a bomb.

As Junseong fixed his gaze on the dark window with no real light, Jian approached and tugged on his sleeve.

“Oppa, I’ll keep watch. You should rest for a bit.”

“I’ll… wait, once the rain stops, I’ll send a drone to search. You rest.”

Seeing the rain ease up, Gyeongoh spoke with a determined face. Still, Junseong shook his head firmly.

“No, you don’t even know what my sister looks like.”

“It doesn’t matter whether we know her face or not on this street. Stop being stubborn and rest.”

Even Changmin, who always agreed with Junseong and followed his lead, spoke firmly this time. The sudden blackout reflected Junseong’s condition, and they could no longer watch without acting.

“If we see even the slightest movement of a person, we’ll let you know immediately.”

“But…”

Changmin grabbed both of Junseong’s shoulders, making him face him directly.

“We’re your teammates too. Can’t you trust us just this once?”

Junseong couldn’t say anything in response to Changmin’s words, which were filled with bitterness.

Hanseo, who had been quietly watching them, finally moved.

“Let’s go.”

Hanseo grabbed Junseong’s stiff arm and led him toward the room they had been using.

“Wait, I’m still…!”

“Stay calm before I have to carry you again.”

Recalling how Hanseo had carried him into the room yesterday, Junseong swallowed his words. Both Changmin and Hanseo spoke firmly, as if they had been holding back for so long, making him hesitate.

Once in the room, Junseong felt an even stronger wave of anxiety rise in him, making him feel queasy. He clamped his mouth shut, trying to suppress the nausea, but his body was suddenly lifted.

“Ugh, what’s this?”

Junseong squinted, his vision wobbling, and glared at Hanseo, who had lifted him and sat him on the bed.

“There’s no point in lying down; you won’t be able to sleep anyway. You probably don’t want to either.”

“What’s the connection between that and this position?”

Instead of responding to Hanseo’s words, Junseong pointed out the position where he was sitting sideways on Hanseo’s lap. Hanseo didn’t answer and instead turned him to lie down on his side, but then something seemed to bother him, so he held Junseong’s waist and rotated him. Junseong’s light body was quickly positioned to face Hanseo.

“Hmm, this is better.”

“What do you mean by better?”

Hanseo, holding Junseong tightly by the waist and around his back and hips, smiled in satisfaction.

“This will be warmer.”

Junseong, who had been trying to pull away, stopped when he felt Hanseo’s warmth through their pressed bodies. Junseong’s body, tense from exhaustion, had grown cold.

“You calm down when you’re warm.”

Hanseo gently rubbed Junseong’s back.

“Good boy. Relax and stay still.”

“Am I a child?”

“Right now, you’re like a child. What do you think Chaeyi would feel if you collapse like this?”

“…”

Hanseo mentioned Chaeyi, who was the most important person to Junseong, knowing that her worry would affect him more than his companions’.

‘I don’t like it, but…’

As Junseong felt how much space Kang Chaeyi occupied within his thoughts, it was awkward, but the effect was clear. His body, stiff from the tension, slowly started to relax.

Hanseo thought Junseong’s relaxation was because he cared so much about his sister, and that her worry was weighing on his mind. However, the reality was a bit different.

‘Why is he holding me like this…?’

Junseong, patting himself on the back, leaned his face against Hanseo’s shoulder. Everywhere he touched was warm, making him forget about the tension. He almost felt like he could just fall asleep right there.

Hanseo’s judgment was correct.

As his frozen body started to thaw, Junseong’s thoughts became clearer, more comfortable. The fatigue that had piled up soon made him feel drowsy, and the prickling nerves began to settle.

He closed his eyes while thinking about how this pleasant feeling might be why couples hug so often.

“Chaeyi… she’ll come, right?”

“Of course.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Hanseo answered and kissed Junseong on the neck.

“If you’ve made that judgment, she’ll definitely come.”

“It’s not like I’m always right. I couldn’t even predict this situation in my dreams.”

“If it’s wrong, I’ll make it right.”

Junseong chuckled slightly with his eyes still closed.

“How are you going to do that?”

“Did you forget? I’m ‘your variable.’”

Hanseo placed a series of teasing kisses on Junseong’s cool neck. The warmth quickly spread through the area that hadn’t been touched before.

“A variable is also a way to create a new formula. If you follow the path to the answer you’ve set, you can make it lead to the goal with a new formula.”

Every time Hanseo spoke, Junseong shivered as the kisses brushed against his neck. He responded lazily.

“If that’s possible, does that make you a god?”

“Well, maybe I am actually a god.”

“You should rest before me. You’re talking nonsense.”

Junseong let out a small laugh at Hanseo’s ridiculous words. He didn’t know if it was intentional, but the humor helped him relax even more.

‘Chaeyi will be fine… She has to be fine.’

Although he had managed to relax his body and mind to some extent, his worry for Chaeyi was still far from gone.

“If Chaeyi hasn’t come by tomorrow morning, we’ll have to split up into teams. We should predict the route that Daewook’s group will take, and even if it’s a little dangerous, we’ll follow that path…”

“That might not be necessary.”

At Hanseo’s words, Junseong opened his eyes. Unlike Hanseo, who was sitting facing the door, Junseong, who was still in his arms, could only see the night sky outside the window.

Hanseo, who had already checked the visitor’s status through the window in the door, looked disappointed as the door suddenly swung open without a knock.

“Junseong! Get out here!”

The one who barged in was Im Yuseul. Like Namsub, Yuseul had started speaking casually with younger teammates.

Yuseul paused for a moment when she saw Junseong sitting on Hanseo’s lap. She wondered why two men were sitting like that.

However, before she could say anything, Junseong quickly got up and asked her.

“What’s going on?”

When he looked at her with a concerned expression, Yuseul smiled brightly, finally coming to her senses.

“We’ve found survivors approaching the hospital!”

Junseong’s eyes widened as he held his breath.

[11:59 PM]

It seemed that Chaeyi, like she had promised, was a sister who kept her word.