Dead Mode: The Meta Zombie

HAPPY NEW YEARRRRR!!!!!!!!!! HERE'S TO A GREAT 2025, HOPE YOU STAY SAFE!!!
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"Eunhee," Ji-yeon called, her voice uneven as she sat with her in the dimly lit living room. The air was heavy with the sharp aroma of cigarettes, the ashtray on the table overflowing with butts, their ashes forming a thick gray layer at the bottom.
"Yes, miss?" Eunhee replied with a soft smile, though tension lingered in her tone.
"Since I'll be leaving soon," Ji-yeon began, a strange energy in her voice as she smiled—warmly, yet with a mischievous edge. 
Her hands trembled faintly as she gestured for Eunhee's. 
"Mind if I tell you something? Girl to girl?" she asked, leaning closer, her eyes glinting despite their dampness.
"O-Of course!" Eunhee said, smiling nervously as she let Ji-yeon take her hands, trying not to flinch at the trembling grip.
"You know," Ji-yeon said, her voice lowering conspiratorially, "he'd kill me if I told you this..." She paused for a moment, a shaky laugh escaping her lips as she shook her head. "But what good is a secret if it's never spilled, am I right?"
"Y-Yes, haha," Eunhee stammered, her voice betraying her unease.
"Eunhee," Ji-yeon repeated, her grip tightening slightly. "Jiho had a crush on you, you know?" Her eyes locked onto Eunhee's, a small smile pulling at her lips.
"Ah..." Eunhee gasped, her eyes widening as she forced a shy, embarrassed smile. 
"R-Really?" she asked, the words catching in her throat.
"Oooooh, was he~," Ji-yeon teased, momentarily glancing at the ceiling. "He talked about you all the time."
Eunhee swallowed hard, shifting slightly in her seat. "I-I didn't know..."
"Oh, come on," Ji-yeon continued, her tone picking up again. "I know you're with Daniel now—you look so lovely together."
"A-Aha... Y-You could tell?" Eunhee replied, tilting her head coyly, her forced smile barely masking her discomfort.
"Do NOT underestimate me, child," Ji-yeon said, wagging a playful finger with exaggerated cheerfulness. Her sudden burst of energy elicited a nervous giggle from Eunhee.
"...Cherish it," Ji-yeon said abruptly, her voice dropping, her grip on Eunhee's hands trembling again. 
"As for Jiho... he made me swear—more than a dozen times—not to tell you. He was so embarrassed. It was... cute," she muttered, her gaze dropping to their joined hands.
"But," she continued, her voice quieter but edged with an unshakable resolve, "I just wanted you to know that he loved you. Whether you'd ever be his girlfriend, or end up with someone else..." Ji-yeon trailed off, her lips pressing together tightly as her trembling hands released Eunhee's. 
"He just loved you."
"You and Daniel both helped shape him into who he is... was..." Ji-yeon swallowed hard, pushing back her tears as she took a deep breath.
"So... I just wanted to say... thank you. Okay?" she said, rubbing her trembling palms together.
Eunhee's shoulders loosened slightly as the warmth of Ji-yeon's touch reached her. She could feel the sting of tears climbing up her throat.
"Jiho..." Eunhee's voice trembled as she spoke, "He... he wouldn't hate me if he knew about me and Daniel... would he? He wouldn't hate me... Miss Ji-yeon?" Her voice broke as she lowered her head, trying in vain to hide her tears from Ji-yeon's gaze.
"Oh, Eunhee," Ji-yeon murmured, pulling her into a gentle embrace. "I won't lie to you. If you'd kept it a secret, he might've been hurt," she said softly, patting Eunhee's head.
Eunhee's lips pursed, trembling under the weight of her emotions.
"But at the end of the day," Ji-yeon continued, her voice steady but kind, "you were both his friends."
Eunhee hiccuped, her sobs escaping despite her best efforts.
"It was both of your hands that he held in this life. The Jiho you helped create... he would've forgiven you."
Eunhee gasped, her breath hitching sharply as she leaned into Ji-yeon's touch, her face pressing into her shirt.
"Miss..." she murmured weakly, her voice muffled by the fabric.
'You don't know... Even you, his mother wouldn't know how.'
Before she could finish, Min-soo's voice interrupted, cutting through the air as he descended the stairs.
"It's soon. Get ready," he said curtly, barely glancing at them as he walked past, a cigarette trailing smoke in his wake.
Ji-yeon sighed softly, gently nudging Eunhee away from her embrace. "We'll talk about it later, okay?" she said with a small, reassuring smile.
Rising from the couch, Ji-yeon extended a hand to Eunhee. "Let's go together," she said, her tone warm as she led the way toward the exit.
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Jiho and Jang lay on beds opposite each other in the quarantine zone, the sterile white ceiling of the tent stretching above them. Both stared upward, their expressions distant as they waited for the results of their diagnosis. So far, the examinations had shown no external or internal injuries.
"I know we decided to leave and all," Jiho began, breaking the silence.
"What? Getting cold feet, bitch?" Jang challenged, glancing at him with a smirk.
"No," Jiho replied flatly, shaking his head gently as his gaze remained fixed on the ceiling. 
"But my mom might already be gone from the city by now. It's probably going to take a while to actually meet her again," he murmured, his voice soft.
"Huuuuuh," Jang hummed with mock interest.
"What?" Jiho asked, glancing at him curiously.
"Nah, just figured you'd have the cliché worry. You know, the: 'Jang-hyung, w-what if my mom is actually dead and still in the c-c-c-c-c-c-city somewhere!??! Maybe we didn't look good enoughhhh!' type of thing," Jang said, mimicking a quivering tone with exaggerated theatrics.
Jiho stared at him for a beat before replying, his tone deadpan. 
"First, I don't talk that way. Second, we searched the rubble for two days. Then scoured the rest of the area. Some... crazy stuff happened, I might add. But..." He paused, his gaze turning distant.
"We would've found her—alive or dead—by that point if she was still there," Jiho explained calmly.
"Damn straight," Jang agreed, nodding.
"Hyung," Jiho called, his expression suddenly unreadable.
"?"
"You didn't have to go out of your way like that," Jiho said quietly, his tone sincere but hesitant. "To help me like that, so..."
"Thank you," he added, the words awkwardly hanging in the air as an uncomfortable silence settled between them.
"If you really want to stay in the quarantine zone, then... it's fine," Jiho murmured, breaking the quiet.
"Shut the fuck up," Jang snapped, his eyes narrowing as he shot Jiho a sharp glare.
"I wasn't helping you look for your mom," Jang said, his tone defensive but tinged with feigned confidence. 
"I was passing time. Farming mobs—zombies—and leveling up my skills. I've got some unresolved shit outside to deal with before I come back here anyway. And, you know, collect my payment from your must-be-loaded family."
"I see... Alright then," Jiho replied, leaning back further into his bed, his lips quirking into a faint smirk.
But as the silence lingered, Jang muttered under his breath, almost too low to hear, "But don't mention it..."
Jiho's head flicked toward him, his brows furrowing. "What did you—"
"Mr. An," a voice called from the side. Jiho turned to see a hazmat-suited woman approaching him.
"We tried contacting your mother, but there's no answer," she said with a slight shake of her head.
"..." Jiho's face tightened, his eyes lowering in concern.
"Oh, please don't worry," she added quickly. "She is confirmed to be very much alive! We'll continue trying to reach her, but are there others you'd like us to contact?"
"..." Jiho hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line. 
Finally, he replied, "No. None." Then, almost reluctantly, he added, "Actually, try my father, Min-soo An."
"We did," she said gently, "but... sorry, no answer there either."
"I see," Jiho murmured, his tone resigned. He forced a faint smile, glancing up at her. "Then it's fine. Thank you, noona."
The unexpected warmth in his voice made her pause, her heart skipping slightly before she quickly composed herself. 
"T-then... okay," she stammered, bowing briefly before turning back to join a masked scientist waiting for her outside the tent.
"Your dad's a piece of shit too?" Jang asked bluntly, his voice cutting through the silence.
"I... I don't think so," Jiho replied absently.
"WHAT THE FUCK kinda answer is that!?" Jang demanded, his voice rising.
"I don't know," Jiho said, still staring at the ceiling. "He's just... not a piece of shit, I think. I think he's reasonable—someone who has his life all figured out. But he's not someone I'd want to live with. That's all."
"..." Jang said nothing for a moment, his expression unreadable.
"Why do you ask?" Jiho finally asked, turning his head slightly toward him.
"... None of your fucking business," Jang muttered, turning his gaze back to the ceiling.
'hyung said the word "too"...' Jiho mentally noted.
Out of nowhere, Jang spoke up.
"They want to bang us, you know? These hazmat women." He grimaced, spitting out the words like they left a bad taste in his mouth. 
"Fucking disgusting. That's what bitches talk about? I bet these bitches have boyfriends—disloyal cunts."
"It's not nice to eavesdrop, hyung," Jiho sighed, glancing at him.
"I'm not trying to! Ever since this whole shit started, I see, breathe, and smell everything better—by a fucking lot!" Jang exclaimed, gesturing toward the hazmat-suited women talking nearby. 
"I bet you hear it too, you sneaky little weasel," he accused.
"Well... I try not to focus on it, I guess," Jiho muttered.
'Although... it is kinda hard,' Jiho admitted to himself, resigning as he caught snippets of the women's conversation.
"C-COME ON, Su-hee... Ask for his number! You take the taller one, I'll take the short one!" one of them said, giggling under her breath.
"N-NO WAY! I'll take the short one. He's way hotter. Besides, the taller one's got an eight-pack—aren't musclemen more your style?"
"Ugh, so picky. They're both almost the same height and their builds aren't that different. What does it matter?! Take the taller one, Su-hee!"
"...Fine," Su-hee replied hesitantly, glancing at Jang. Her gaze lingered on his grimace. 
"I guess the taller one's the bad boy, while the other is the innocent type. I am looking for a man, I guess..."
"FUCKIN' A, I'M THE MAN!" Jang barked, startling the two women.
They froze briefly, then giggled. "He's confident, isn't he?" their voices continued in the background, undeterred.
Jiho stared at the ceiling, a subtle frown crossing his face. For a moment, a shared thought flickered between him and Jang.
'It feels kinda good, being talked about that way...' A bittersweet warmth coursed through them.
"But seriously," Jiho said suddenly, grounding both of them.
"...Since my mom's alive, she's probably long gone from this place. I was the only reason she stayed here, really," Jiho murmured, his voice quieter.
Jang was silent for a moment, then Jiho hesitantly asked, "You got family outside, hyung?"
"...."
Jang paused before answering, his tone curt. 
"None of your fucking business. AGAIN," he spat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep. I've got ten hours to kill, after all."
Flipping onto his side, Jang pulled the blanket up and settled into the soft mattress of the quarantine tent, his back to Jiho.