A Moment Between Chaos

The night air is thick with tension. It clings to my skin, heavy and damp, as I press my back against the cold stone of a crumbling building. The sounds of distant roars and screeches echo through the ruins of Busan, but here, in this alley, it is only Jae and me.

My heart pounds. It isn't just from the danger lurking outside.

Jae is close. Too close. The heat radiating from his body seeps into mine, making my breath catch. I tell myself it's just adrenaline, just the high of another near-death escape. But when I glance up at him, his dark eyes smoldering under the moonlight, I know I'm lying to myself.

We shouldn't be here. We should be running, hiding, surviving. And yet, neither of us moves.

---

The Taste of Fear and Desire

"We need to keep moving," I whisper, my voice barely carrying over the distant growls.

Jae doesn't respond right away. His gaze lingers on my face, tracing every cut, every smear of dirt. Slowly, his fingers reach up, brushing a stray lock of hair from my cheek. The touch is featherlight, but it sends a shiver down my spine.

I swallow hard. "Jae—"

"Shh."

His thumb ghosts over my jaw, down to my lips, lingering for just a second too long. My breath hitches.

The world outside is chaos. Monsters hunt us. Death waits at every turn. And yet, in this stolen moment, all I can think about is him.

His hand drops away, but the warmth of his touch lingers. "We should go," he says, but his voice is lower now, rougher.

My pulse thrums in my throat. My body hums with something I don't have time to name.

Still, I nod. "Yeah."

---

The Chase

We move through the ruins in silence, keeping to the shadows. Every step is careful, measured. One wrong move, and we become prey.

Ahead, the street opens into a vast, broken plaza. The remains of what was once a market stretch out before us—scattered stalls, overturned carts, remnants of a life long gone. The scent of rot lingers in the air, mixing with the metallic tang of blood.

Jae halts suddenly, his hand snapping out to grab my wrist. I freeze.

Then I hear it.

The low, rumbling growl.

Slowly, I turn my head.

At the far end of the plaza, standing in the ruins of what used to be a department store, is a beast. Its eyes glint in the darkness, sharp and knowing. This one is different. Bigger. Smarter.

And it's watching us.

My grip tightens on my spear. My mind races. If we run, it will chase. If we fight, we might not win.

Jae shifts beside me, his muscles coiled, ready.

The beast takes a step forward. Then another.

And then—

Jae yanks me backward, just as the beast lunges.

---

The Fall

We crash through a weakened section of the ground, the floor beneath us caving in with a deafening crack. Dust and debris explode around us as we tumble down into the darkness.

I hit the ground hard, my body jolting with the impact. Pain flares through my limbs, but I don't have time to process it.

Jae lands beside me with a grunt, already scrambling to his feet. He reaches for me, his fingers closing around my arm, pulling me up. "Are you hurt?"

I shake my head, coughing against the dust. "I'm fine."

Above us, the beast prowls at the edge of the hole, snarling. It won't be long before it finds a way down.

Jae's grip tightens. "We need to move."

We turn and run, deeper into the underground ruins.

---

A Kiss in the Dark

We find shelter in what used to be a subway station. The air is damp, thick with the scent of mildew and decay. It's quiet down here. Too quiet.

I lean against a pillar, catching my breath. Every part of me aches, but I don't complain. We're alive. For now.

Jae stands a few feet away, his hands on his hips, his head tilted back as he exhales sharply. His shirt is torn, streaked with dirt and blood. A cut runs along his forearm, fresh but shallow.

Without thinking, I move toward him. "You're hurt."

He barely glances at it. "It's nothing."

I scowl. "Let me see."

He hesitates, but then, slowly, he extends his arm. I take it, my fingers brushing against his skin. The contact is electric, sending a shudder through me.

I clean the wound as best as I can, tearing a strip from my already ruined shirt to wrap around it. Jae watches me the whole time, his gaze unreadable.

When I finish, I look up—and realize just how close we are.

His face is inches from mine. His breath fans against my cheek. My heart stutters.

He doesn't move away.

Neither do I.

Something shifts in the air between us, thick and undeniable. My body hums with anticipation, with the weight of something unspoken.

Then, as if pulled by a force greater than us both, Jae leans in.

Our lips brush—soft, tentative. A test. A question.

My breath hitches, my hands fisting in the fabric of his shirt. And then, just as quickly, he deepens the kiss.

It's not gentle. It's desperate, raw. A clash of need and fear, of wanting something we shouldn't.

I melt into it, into him, my body pressed against his, my fingers tangling in his hair. He tastes like danger, like survival, like everything I shouldn't crave but do.

The world outside doesn't exist. Not in this moment.

Only him.

Only us.

Then, just as suddenly as it started, he pulls away.

His forehead rests against mine, his breath ragged. "This is a mistake," he murmurs.

I swallow hard, my pulse thundering. "I know."

But neither of us moves away.

Neither of us lets go.

And deep down, I know—we're already too far gone.

---