“Wait, Jinyoung!” Shinwoo yelled into his cellphone as he heard a click. Jinyoung hung up. 

     Sandeul stared at Shinwoo, wide-eyed and his lower lip quivering. “He’s… He’s not leaving us, is he?”

     Shinwoo swallowed hard, but managed a slight smile. “He is, I guess. But Jinyoung said he’d visit us again. Come on, I think that’s our taxi.”

     In a blink of an eye, Sandeul pulled himself together and nodded. He could grieve their loss later. Shinwoo helped Sandeul up and into the car after slinging his backpack strap over his shoulder. 

     The two B1A4 members buckled in and rode away without saying a word. 

     Traffic was still backed up, the roads filled surprisingly for this time in the evening. All Shinwoo and Sandeul could do was look out the window and watch the annoyed drivers. 

     Shinwoo felt a sudden poke on his cheek just as he started to doze off. 

     “Look, look!” Sandeul pointed to the police car that was stopped at the red light next to their taxi. He rolled down the window and waved. 

     “You shouldn’t attract attention to yourself, Sandeul,” Shinwoo scolded him. Just thinking about the possibility of Sandeul going zombie when they were so close to police officers made his heart race. They would definitely arrest a zombie, wouldn’t they?

     “But it’s Baro!”

     Shinwoo squinted his eyes and adjusted his glasses to see who was in the back seat. It looked as if the person inside was begging the officers to open the window. They allowed the window to be rolled down only halfway, but they could see that it was in fact Baro. 

     “Don’t worry about me!” Baro shouted to them with a wide smile. “I’ve been busted, but I’ll be free in no time!

     “Wait, what!” Shinwoo shouted back, not knowing what to think. 

     “Take care of the band for me! See you soon, Sandeul and Shinwoo!” They saw a glimmer of a teardrop from Baro’s eye as the lights turned green and both cars parted their separate ways. 

     Sandeul closed the window and secretly dried his eyes so Shinwoo couldn’t see him cry again. 

     “So… I guess Jinyoung and Baro will be leaving the band for a while,” Shinwoo held back his own tears. He was just getting through the shock of Jinyoung’s news, and now Baro had similar news to share. “I hope Gongchan doesn’t leave us too. I hope he’s okay… Right, Sandeul?”

     “Ggggoonnngg…”

     “Ugh! Not again!” Shinwoo tried waving his fingers in front of Sandeul’s face and shaking him a bit to get him out of his zombie-mode before the taxi driver suspected something. 

     “What, what!” Sandeul awoke from zombie-land. “No! I didn’t do it again!”

     “Yeah, you just did,” Shinwoo said worriedly. “We should probably– Sandeul, stop!”

     Shinwoo pulled Sandeul’s bandaged hand out of his mouth while he blinked into consciousness again. “I… I can’t seem to stay with it! I just wish… I could… Shhhh… iiiinnnn… wooo…”

     It was only getting worse. Sandeul wasn’t his normal self, and it was only a matter of time before he would stay that way. What would the other members do if they were here? Shinwoo had to do something unless he wanted a permanent zombie roommate… and never talk to the real Sandeul again. 

     Just then, the answer appeared out the window. The taxi was parked at a stop light right outside the hospital. After heaving a deep breath, Shinwoo told the driver as he unbuckled himself and his friend, “We’re getting out here. Thanks for the ride.”

     “But this isn’t the address you sent me.”

     “I know, but my friend here needs–uh… he needs to go to the emergency room for… something. No time to explain!” Shinwoo paid the confused taxi driver before pulling Sandeul out of the car who was clearly in a sleepy trance.

     Sandeul cooperated this time, even though he didn’t understand where they were headed. He kept limping along, following his friend. 

     Right outside the ER doors, Shinwoo faced Sandeul, not knowing when would be the next time they would see each other. Tears filled his eyes behind the glasses as it sunk in that the whole band was falling apart. He tried to say something, but his lip only quivered.

     “Hhhhuu… ggggg…” Sandeul groaned as he lovingly wrapped his uncoordinated arms around Shinwoo.

     Shinwoo hugged back as he pulled himself together. “Thanks, Sandeul. B1A4 will be together again, arasseo? I promise.”