Changkyun opened a packet of ramen. He was starving, and he silently thanked whoever the apartment had belonged to before for having what seemed to be a ramen obsession. Either that, or no money to buy any other food. Whatever it was, the cupboards were stocked full of ramen packets, some flavors Changkyun had never even known existed.

The pot of water that he'd put on the stove ten minutes ago was boiling now, and he poured it into the plastic bowl, stomach growling as the hot water released the smell of beef into the air.

There was a thump in the door's direction but Changkyun ignored it. There were still some zombies in the apartment building and occasionally one of them would wander through the hallways, bumping into walls and doors with no purpose. As long as he kept quiet they wouldn't notice his presence.

But the thumping continued, which was strange because zombies usually passed through the hallways without focusing on a particular door. A few moments later though, Changkyun realized it wasn't one of the undead.

The doorbell rang. And Changkyun knew exactly who it was.

He dashed to the door and undid the locks and bars as fast as he could, checking through the peekhole just in case. Yep, it was him.

As soon as the door was free Changkyun flung it open. He had no trouble recognizing the red-haired man from earlier and dragged Jooheon into the room. He pushed the door closed quietly but Jooheon was wearing a backpack with a some metal objects inside clanging with every movement. With that and the doorbell, already some zombies were heading towards them and would no doubt spend some time scratching at the door, but Changkyun dragged the body of a zombie he had killed earlier in front of the door to drive the others away with its scent.

"Are you stupid?" Changkyun whispered angrily towards Jooheon. "Why would you ring the doorbell? Don't you know sound attracts them?"

Jooheon shook his head quickly, mouth hung open. "I knocked, but you didn't answer..."

Changkyun sighed. "Zombies make those sounds too."

"It's good I rang the doorbell then," Jooheon pointed out.

Changkyun shook his head. "Don't do it again."

He turned and went back to the kitchen. With nowhere else to go, Jooheon followed him. Changkyun split half of his ramen into another bowl and handed it to Jooheon silently.

"Thanks." Jooheon accepted it.

Even though he was famished, Jooheon carefully glanced at Changkyun before he started eating. Now that he was right in front of him, Changkyun didn't look that old. Jooheon guessed the kid was maybe even younger than himself. He had mixed feelings about Changkyun at the moment. For one, he'd left him behind back at the convenience store. But he hadn't refused to help. In a way, he'd saved Jooheon's life with the metal rod he'd thrown him. And with the map he left, he was apparently willing to share his own food and shelter with Jooheon, even if he was cold and condescending.

Jooheon tried some of the ramen and nodded appreciatively. "This is good."

Not stopping shoving the noodles down his throat, Changkyun gave a grunt.

"What's your name?" Jooheon asked.

He looked up and mumbled through a mouthful of ramen, "Changkyun."

"Sorry?"

He chewed and swallowed. "Changkyun."

"I'm Jooheon." He held out a hand.

Changkyun looked like he was going to refuse Jooheon's hand, but then he shook it. "Eat your ramen," he commanded.

Since he was starving and Changkyun clearly wasn't the talkative type, Jooheon complied. Neither of them spoke, but the sound of soup slurping and chopsticks clinking against the bottom of the bowl filled the small kitchen. Changkyun finished his bowl and openly eyed Jooheon as he ate.

Jooheon met his gaze. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing. I was just wondering how you got out."

Jooheon finished his ramen and set the bowl on the counter. "I used the shelves."

Changkyun furrowed his eyebrows in a confused look.

"I jumped across the shelves and used the metal stick you threw at me to fend them off." Jooheon still had the metal rod sticking out of his backpack. "Almost got killed getting your map, but thanks for dropping it, I guess."

"You're welcome," Changkyun deadpanned, sensing his sarcasm.

"Why did you leave? Why not just help me then?" Jooheon blurted.

Changkyun shrugged. "I'm a loner," he said. "It's kept me alive. I'd rather stick to myself, not get involved... but I'm not cold-blooded enough to just leave you there."

"You did just leave me there."

"I helped."

"You left me. You took one look at me, dropped a piece of paper on the ground, and walked out the door," Jooheon pointed out.

Changkyun let out a huff of annoyance. "Why are you here?"

"Huh?" The question surprised Jooheon, but he should have expected that the indifferent kid would change the subject. "What do you mean? You gave me the map."

"Yeah," Changkyun repeated, "I gave you the map. But you didn't have to follow it. You didn't have to come here. Why did you come? Why are you here?"

"I just..." Jooheon sighed. "I don't want to be alone. You probably wouldn't understand. But I haven't been by myself for that long, and it's almost too hard to handle. Sleeping with one eye open every night, no one to talk to in the morning, nothing to hear but the growling. I could handle it for a few weeks, but after that it was starting to get to me. How can you say you'd rather be alone?"

Changkyun shrugged. "It's safer to be alone."

Jooheon started to argue, but Changkyun held up a hand and left the kitchen. He walked into a small bedroom off the small living room and shut the door in Jooheon's face. And if that wasn't enough, immediately after a small click sounded. Without trying the doorknob, Jooheon knew the door was locked.

Changkyun was a mystery to him. The kid seemed to have conflicting interests. He said he was a loner and did leave him at the convenience store, but he left a map to lead him to his apartment. He shared ramen with him, although Jooheon would have no qualms with sharing ramen if he had a kitchen full of it. Jooheon didn't understand why Changkyun would share his apartment with him when he barely tolerated him at all.

With nothing to do, Jooheon wandered around the kitchen for a while and looked around the small living room. Eventually he lay down on one of the two couches in the living room, after making sure the corpse propped against the door was really dead. And he slept.

Changkyun sat on the bed in the room with his head in his hands. He didn't know what he had been thinking. The man looked helpless at the store, his red hair may have made him look intimidating, but his face was soft and emotional. Something had come over him in the store when he had seen Jooheon huddled against the counter, pleading at him with his eyes. He had told himself not to get involved. Human interaction had never ended well for him, it was better to stay alone with just the undead around him. He cursed the map for slipping through his fingers.