I wake up to the feeling of my shoulder being shaken and the sound of my boyfriend's whispers.

"Baekhyunnie, wake up. We're here." I open my eyes and sit upright from leaning against the vehicle window. I turn my head groggily towards my boyfriend, causing him to crack a couple chuckles. "C'mon, sleepyhead." He laughs, reaching his hand out to wipe some drool off my lip. He gives me a quick peck on the lips with his own before continuing. "Let's go."

Chanyeol and I get up from our seat and follow the flow of passengers towards the vehicle exit, our hands intertwined together like usual. After a few seconds, we reach the exit and step outside, once again joining the large group of survivors. A government employee stands outside each vehicle, attempting to keep everyone organized.

"Stick to your family at all times. Stay in line behind the person in front of you. Wait for more instructions once everyone safely gathers in the main residency building." The man at our vehicle says. Everyone follows directions smoothly and without protest, and before too many minutes pass, we safely wait in the residency building. Chanyeol and I make sure we stick as close together as possible.

"We just need to follow instructions. If for any reason we get separated, always make sure to follow what they say." Chanyeol says, the first thing any of us has spoken since he woke me up.

"No , Sherlock. I'm not asking for death now." I exclaim, trying to change the heavy uncertainty flooding the atmosphere. I shoot a playful grin and look at my boyfriend, who returns with a small yet soft smile.

"You know what I mean. Anyways, I'm sure the president will talk to us after everything gets more organized. We owe a lot to Minseokie-hyung." He says, keeping the mood serious. "This is all thanks to him." I can sense the slight sadness in his tone, and I nod in response to his words.

"Hey. I love you, Yeollie. And Hyung did too."

"I know. I love you too, Baek." Chanyeol leans down to place a kiss on my forehead, but stops when the room suddenly fills with pitch darkness.

"Attention! Attention! Everyone please quiet down!" A voice blares from the sky, which I immediately recognize as President Jaeshin's. The crowd quickly becomes silent, each one eager to know what happens next. A spotlight emits from the ceiling, drawing all attention to the president standing confidently at a podium at the back of the giant room.

"Everyone, before I continue with instruction, I want to address the incident that some of you may have witnessed earlier." The President clears his throat. "Unfortunately, an 8 year old boy by the name of Go Haejin is under medical care for extreme radiation poisoning." A few gasps emit from the crowd, and President Jaeshin quickly continues. "Do not panic! He is currently stable and his mother is safe with him. As for you all, follow my next directions carefully. You will all line up with your families behind the door to my left. As you pass, a service member will give you a packet with your residency room number, and a list of steps to take when you arrive at your rooms to ensure your safety. Service members will be spread throughout the area to answer any questions. Until further notice, thank you all for you cooperation." He bows his head and walks away from his spot. The crowd begins to shift.

"Radiation poisoning? Damn, they better be keeping their word about keeping us safe. Are they sure we'll survive here?" I hear a man next to me say to the woman beside him, who I assume is his wife. She holds a baby in her arms, and both adults have a look of nervousness and uncertainty in their expressions. I look around at the crowd that surrounds me, and notice the trend of confusion and fear that emits off them.

"C'mon, lets follow the line." Chanyeol says, and we begin to follow the flow of people headed to the doorway as instructed.

The room holding all of us is huge. I estimate that around 40,000 people total are surrounding me. I try not to let the thought that we could be the only survivors cross my mind.

Chanyeol and I managed to stay towards the front of the giant room, so it only takes a few minutes for us to reach the doorway. When our turn arrives, the man asks for our names - to which Chanyeol answers for he and I - and searches for our packet.

"Park Chanyeol and Byu- oh! I was instructed to send you off with President Jaeshin. Please give me a moment." The man says, and Chanyeol and I nod in unison. He picks up a communication device and speaks into it. "It's Dr. Minseok's boys. I need an assistant to send them to the president. Over."

"Copy. An assistant is on the way. Over." A voice responds from the device.

"Please walk straight down the hall and wait near that first door on the right side. An assistant is on the way." The man instructs, signaling his hand in the direction he wants us to go.

"Yes sir." My boyfriend bows his head towards the man, and I copy his actions, and we head towards our location. Not even ten seconds later, the door opens and a tall woman appears.

"You must be Mr. Byun and Mr. Park?" The woman says.

"Yes we are." I reply, putting on a friendly smile.

"Mr. President is waiting for you! Please follow me." She bows her head before opening the same door she came in from. Chanyeol and I return the gesture and follow her down a pristine hallway. A few meters down, we turn left at the end of the hall to reveal white double doors. "Mr. President is waiting inside." She opens one of the doors and signals for us to come through. Chanyeol and I bow our heads again as we pass by her, and once we pass completely through, the doors close behind us.

"I'm glad to see you've gotten here safe! Are you boys okay?" President Jaeshin happily exclaims.

"Yes, sir. There's a lot of people out there, but we are completely fine. However, Baekhyun here is a little scared. I'll need to sing the poor boy to sleep later." My boyfriend explains, causing me to give him a good secret pinch on his side. He and the president crack a few laughs, and I mutter under my breath, making sure I'm just loud enough for my boyfriend to hear me.

"I'm the one usually singing you to sleep, you ."

"I made sure to give you guys the room closest to all of the important assets. The cafeteria, the medical center, storage, and the backup safety facility is just down the hall from your room. I'll have Mrs. Choi lead you there when we are finished here. When you arrive at your room, she will give you a device that you can use to alert her in case of any emergencies. She will respond immediately. It's the least I can do considering how much Dr. Minseok has done for us."

"Thank you, Mr. President." Chanyeol says. We both bow to him with our bodies in respect.

"Mr. Jaeshin will be fine. From now on I'll consider you family, like my sons!" Says the president, followed by a few happy laughs. Chanyeol and I nod our heads.

"Mr. Pr- Uh, Mr. Jaeshin?" My boyfriend asks.

"Yes, son?"

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Is there any way I can help the medical team here? Y'know, even if it's just in emergencies or something. I know I'm not the best, but I need to repay all that Hyung has done for Baekhyun and I. He taught me when he had the chance to, so I'm sure I can be of help somewhere. With your permission of course, sir." Chanyeol explains. He bows his head until he hears a response.

"I don't want to ask you to have to work for me, but if you feel like it's your duty then I will graciously accept. I will have Mrs. Choi take you to the medical staff for training sometime between schedule tomorrow." Mr. Jaeshin smiles satisfactorily.

"Thank you, sir. For everything." My boyfriend bows to him once again, this time I decide to join him.

"Mrs. Choi will send you to your room now. When you arrive, everything should be there that you need. Make sure to follow the safety precautions in your packet. Feel free to call if you need anything." Mr. Jaeshin bows his head to us and we return the action. "Mrs. Choi is waiting for you outside this door. You are free to go." He signals towards a door on the right side of the room. Chanyeol and I follow his direction and leave the room. 


 

~~~


 

The door behind us closes, leaving Chanyeol and I standing at the entrance of our room. It's a small room, about the size of an average college dorm. The room is square shaped, with a twin sized bed in each of the 2 back corners of the room. Between the beds is a small desk with a digital clock and a piece of paper, and a chair placed in the spot meant for it. In the front left corner is a small dining table with 2 chairs, and on the right side of the room there's a door leading to the bathroom, which from what I can see just contains a simple sink, toilet, a standing shower, and a mirror.

"And here we are cooped up underground once again. At least we have some separation from everyone else. Maybe I can get a full night's sleep for once." Chanyeol says with a sigh. He walks across the room to the desk and places down the packet and the device Mrs. Choi gave us for emergencies. He rolls his sleeves up to his elbows and begins moving the desk out from between the beds. "First things first," he grunts, using his strength to move the piece of furniture. "I have to make sure I'm not sleeping three damn yards away from my boyfriend."

I smile when I realize his intentions, and I help to scoot one of the beds so that both beds are pushed together, making one large enough for the both of us to sleep close together. "Much better!" I say, dusting my hands off on my pants. Chanyeol moves the desk to the place where the bed was before, and after a few seconds of satisfaction at my work, I feel his strong arms wrap around my body from behind. I let out a small chuckle and turn my body around, still wrapped by his arms, to face his eyes.

"Hello, beautiful." He says softly and seductively. We stare lovingly into each other's eyes, and I smile lightly. He leans his head down and presses his lips into mine. We remain like this for a few seconds, making sure to get a good taste of each other after so many days. Once we both pull our lips away from the other's, we stare at each other once again. "Baek..."

"Mm?" I say, continuing my gaze deep onto my lover.

"TICKLE FIGHT!" Before I can react, I am swooped up onto my boyfriend's shoulder and tossed onto the bed, his big hands attacking my body with no time to prepare myself. I burst into a loud fit of ugly laughter, letting in big gasps of air every second or so.

"Ch- chany- stop- p-please!" I beg, sputtering out cackles between each word. "I'm gon- gonna p-pee!" At last, Chanyeol releases his grip on my body, ending my torture. My laughs gradually fade, leaving me exhausted and out of breath on the bed.

" you." I mutter, showing off my middle finger to my evil boyfriend, causing him to blare a big cheesy grin. "We are on the brink of extinction in a nuclear war and you decided it was a good idea to have a ing tickle fight?"

"Hey, I miss having fun with my boyfriend and wanted to lighten the mood!" He protests. "Anyways, we should probably pay attention to this now." He picks up the packet he previously placed on the desk and opens the first page before reading the steps listed.

"Please carefully follow these procedures, yadadada, I don't give a . Oh, here. Step 1: Check for green light on air filtration control by the front door." I turn my head and take notice of the small green light. I give him a thumbs up and signal for him to continue.

"Okay, check that. Step 2: Be sure that each individual in your household takes a thorough shower. Step 3: Put on radiation safety suits. From now on these should be worn at all times. Suits should be located behind the bathroom door. Step 4: Check room for any disabled or broken objects. Check for any cracks, breaks, or holes in the ceiling or walls. Step 5: Alert an assistant if any issues are noticed. Place all belongings in a quarantine bag located in the desk drawer. Place bag outside front door to be picked up and cleaned. They will be returned to your door in the morning. Step 6: Please read the daily schedule located on your desk. For organization and safety purposes, your schedule will be expected to be followed unless any individual is given an official exception. Thank you."

"Well I don't think anything's broken." I say, peering around the room in search of any cracks that I didn't notice at first. I spot nothing. "Chanyeol, check the bathroom."

He nods at my command and quickly searches the bathroom. He returns after a few seconds and shakes his head. "Well we can check that off the list too." He walks over to the desk and pulls a medium sized plastic bag out of the drawer. "What belongings do you have, Baek?"

I pat myself around the areas of my pockets, feeling for any objects that I might be carrying. I remember the ring Chanyeol gave me for our anniversary and I take it off of my finger. I give one last feel in my pockets, and feel a small metal object in the pocket of my flannel. I take it out, and examine it.

"Just these." I say, lifting them up for my boyfriend to see. I slight pout forms in his bottom lip.

"Hm. Keep them here. I don't trust random assistants with that ring, nor Hyung's nametag. I'll wash it myself in the sink before I shower." He says, looking back and forth from the precious objects to my eyes. I nod, and place both objects on the table. "We'll have to get our clothes washed though, so put them in this bag after you shower. I'll go first."

I nod at his words once again, and smile at my boyfriend. He returns the expression before turning around, walking into the bathroom, and closing the door behind him.