Gongchan and Shinwoo darted inside the hospital to the experimental treatment ward where Sandeul was staying, and badgered the nurse behind the desk with a stream of questions. 

     “Where’s Sandeul?” “He means Lee Junghwan. Where is he?” “Did the treatments work?” “Does he need surgery?” “Are you treating him well?” “Is he still a… zombie?”

     The nurse stared at them blankly, not knowing which question to answer first. 

     Gongchan felt his heart sinking. Were they too late? “He’s n-not dying, is he?”

     The nurse broke into laughter behind the counter, confusing the boys, also angering them since they were completely serious. Shinwoo imagined a poor Sandeul experimented on by laughing mad scientists who would torture him for fun. 

     “No, no,” the nurse explained, taking Shinwoo out of his dark thoughts. “When I called you, I meant to come before it gets too late for visiting hours. Junghwan– I mean, Sandeul has made a full recovery and will be ready to leave tomorrow morning. You won’t have to deal with that zombie business anymore,” she smiled warmly and calmly led them to Sandeul’s room. 

     “Jinjja?” Shinwoo couldn’t believe his ears. “He recovered completely this time? You sure?”

     “We’re positive,” the nurse opened the door for them, revealing Sandeul sitting at the edge of his bed in his hospital gown, watching tv. Gongchan and Shinwoo never saw him looking healthier. 

     “You’re here!” Sandeul beamed as he ran up to his friends to hug them. 

     “Stop! Your leg!” both Gongchan and Shinwoo commanded, taking Sandeul back to his bed. 

     “No, it’s okay! See?” He showed them his new walking boot, which allowed him to stand up properly on his own. 

     “You shouldn’t run though,” the nurse warned him as she rolled her eyes with a giggle. She shut the door, leaving them alone. 

     Shinwoo, Sandeul, and Gongchan laughed as they pulled each other into a tight group hug. 

     “I reeeeaaally missed you guys,” Sandeul said after they parted and sat side by side on the bed. “Well, I missed you when I wasn’t sleeping, which I did a lot.”

     “I bet,” Gongchan agreed. “Being a zombie for so long must’ve been exhausting. I’m always beat after one night of being a werewolf, and that’s only ten to twelve hours. You, on the other hand, turned into Zombie Sandeul many times for months!”

     “Yeah, it took a lot out of me,” Sandeul nodded. “But the worst part was that I was always hungry!” Sandeul felt the need to explain after seeing his friends raise an eyebrow. “Well yeah, I was always hungry before I became a zombie, but this was worse! Everything looked delicious to me, including myself!” He held out his hand that he chewed up two weeks ago after B1A4’s first performance. It still had a couple light scars. They laughed as they remembered all the times Sandeul tried to fill his mouth with random objects. 

     “We’re really glad you’re back,” Shinwoo said, patting Sandeul’s shoulder. “You’re coming to the apartment to live with us again, right? It’s too quiet there with just Gongchan and me.”

     “Of course!” Sandeul gave them a thumbs up, then his expression saddened. “It’s still a shame Jinyoung and Baro won’t be with us. I miss them too.”

     Gongchan sighed, “Me too. But they wouldn’t want us to be depressed until they return. In fact, I bet Jinyoung expects us to continue performing, and Baro would tell us to not worry and keep smiling if he were here.”

     Nodding, Shinwoo hopped off the bed, put his hands on his hips and forced a small smile. “That’s it then. We’re going to keep the band going and try to be happy while doing so. Let’s go home, Channie, to leave Sandeul to rest. We’ll go grocery shopping so we can cook a big welcome home breakfast tomorrow!”

     Gongchan and Shinwoo carried out the plan after saying farewell to their dear friend. It was difficult for them to carry on with their day. They tried to laugh and smile naturally, but in the back of their minds, they knew life was never going to be the same. 

     At least the two were distracted in the grocery store after Gongchan juggled oranges and accidentally tossed one onto an employee’s head. They ducked so they wouldn’t be caught in the act, but Shinwoo bumped into the display, causing all of the oranges to fall from the bins and roll onto the floor. 

     They left the store later with their groceries bags in their hands, laughing harder than they had in a long time. Maybe life won’t be so hard after all, Shinwoo thought as they headed home in the evening sunlight.