[CONTENTID1] CHAPTER FORTY THREE - I MISSED YOU [/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

“What the— Kyuhyun!?” I blurt out and his eyes bulge out. He and Hyoyeon both gasp before he gets to his feet and runs towards us. We break into runs, too, until the three of us collide. He throws his arms around us and hugs us tight. “Omo, Oppa! We missed you so much.”

“, I missed you guys way more!” he replies, his voice hoarse. I close my eyes and breathe in his earthy scent. I feel like it’s been weeks since we’ve seen each other when, really, it’s been a matter of days. Something compels me to open my eyes, so I do. I gasp when I see Daehyun, Youngjae, Jackson, Bora, Mino, Youngmin and Kwangmin, Jiyong, Jimin, Karim and Daeho.

“HYERIM!” multiple people shout out and I tear myself away from Kyuhyun and Hyoyeon.

“DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT!?” Kyuhyun shouts back at them. “I DODGED A ING BULLET!”

“HYOYEON!” Daehyun calls out and I look back at her. Her face lights up, in turn lighting up my heart. She grins at him and makes a run for him. 

“Oppa!” she shouts back. He opens his arms to her but what she does shocks him, as well as everyone else. She throws her arms around him and seals her lips onto his. His eyes widen and he stiffens before slowly relaxing into her, his arms tightening around her waist. 

“What, no one cares that I just pulled a ing Matrix move back there?” Kyuhyun mutters.

"No way, Hyoyeon just kissed Daehyun," Youngjae replies without throwing him a single glance. "No one cares about your bullet-dodging moves." Kyuhyun folds his arms in a sulk, shooting daggers at Youngjae with his eyes. 

“Atta girl,” I say under my breath, happy that my best friend actually stuck to what she vowed. I then turn to see Jackson also making a run for me but, unlucky for him, Karim reaches me first. He jumps into my arms and I grunt, barely catching him. A giggle erupts from me and I hug him fiercely, kissing him all over his head and face. “Hi, sweetie.”

“Y-y-y-you s-s-said y-y-you’d b-be b-b-back!” He clings onto me, warming me to my core. I pull him back, only to get a good look at him. I’ve missed everything about him: his thick, black curls, his vivid green eyes, his rich, darkly tanned skin, his rosy lips and his wild eyelashes. It’s like he’s gotten even more beautiful. One could just stare at him all day without ever tiring of him. 

“We’re together now, aren’t we?” I ask him, pressing my lips against his forehead. He stares up at me and nods after a moment. “Are you angry at me?” He nods again. I laugh and pinch his cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

“O-o-okay, Hyerim,” he smiles, his big greens sparkling through his black lashes. I know without a doubt that this boy will kill with those looks. And if it wasn’t for the fact that we are amidst an apocalypse, he’d be a model for sure.

“Hyerim.” I look up from Karim and settle my eyes on Jackson. Seeing him sends butterflies to my stomach but it doesn’t make my heart race as it once did. Still, I’m drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I kiss Karim’s cheek again before going over to Jackson. He tugs me into a crushing hug and I bury my face in his neck. “Jesus Christ, I’ve missed you so much. You have…no idea how worried I was. How worried we all were.”

“I’m sorry,” I mumble, though I don’t really know what I’m apologising for. I kiss his neck and he shudders under my touch. I pull back and stare at his handsome features. He’s beautiful, too. Not like Karim but in his own way. In that moment, I find myself wishing I was still in love with him. But just as quickly as the thought came in, it disappears from my mind. “I missed you too.”

“I love you,” he murmurs before kissing me tenderly. I kiss him back but not just for his benefit. I might not be in love with him anymore but I still care about him, I’m still attracted to him. 

“I love you too, Jackson,” I reply truthfully. “I—YAH!” Daehyun and Youngjae ram into us, ripping me from Jackson’s hold. I burst out laughing as we fall to the ground, the two guys landing on top of me. They don’t bother getting up, only focused on smothering me with sloppy kisses. “Yah, yah, yah! Stop, I can’t breathe!”

“We missed you so much, commandernim~~~” they coo, ruffling my hair. I chortle and smack their hands away. They finally get off me and take my hands, yanking me up from the floor. Youngjae brushes my hair out of my face while Daehyun dusts my knees for me. The former then proceeds to give me a full check up for any bites, scratches, cuts or bruises. 

“How are you?” he asks me and I know what he really means is ‘how do you feel?’.

“I’m ing amazing, Youngjae oppa,” I assure him, lacing my fingers through his and squeezing his hands. He smiles and releases me. Hyoyeon makes her way over with Bora at her side. “Bora-ssi!” I hug the girl and she laughs, nuzzling my shoulder. 

“Are you good?” she asks and I nod into her shoulder. I look over it to see Julien also reuniting with his friends. I smile and nuzzle Bora’s neck, hugging her tightly before releasing her.

Julien and the others come over and we spend the next few minutes re-familiarising ourselves with one another.

“Hold up,” I blurt out, grabbing everyone’s attention. “What the was that creeping singing?”

“Oh, that? That was Kyuhyun being an idiot,” Jackson replies.

“Wrong! I was scaring off any potential enemies,” said male retorts before pointing at Hyoyeon. “Turns out I should’ve been looking out for my own friend!”

“Yah, I said I was sorry for shooting at you!” she snaps and he merely puffs out a breath, turning his back to her. She rolls her eyes and hugs his waist. I don’t miss the little smirk on his face before he turns around and throws his arm around her. 

“Alright, I guess I forgive you,” he sighs dramatically. She snorts and shakes her head but says no more. He turns to me. “Have you eaten?”

“A little,” I reply. Jackson grasps my hand and tugs me towards him. “Wae?”

“We settled in, in that VIP lounge,” he answers and Hyoyeon gasps, shoving Kyuhyun away. She clicks her fingers and points them at me.

“A-HA! I TOLD YOU!” She whips around and points at Julien. “DIDN’T I SAY SO!?”

He raises his hand in surrender, laughing, and nods. “Ne, ne. You said so. You told us so.” She grins triumphantly before skipping over to Daehyun and settling into his side. He beams at her and puts his arm around her.

“Hold up…when did those two become a thing?” Sehun questions, earning a shrug from the rest of us in response. He frowns then shakes his head, as if trying to remove any weird thoughts from his head. “Creepy.” I giggle and he winks at me.

I swear, this oppa is bipolar.

“Alright, let’s go feed our peeps back at the lounge,” Daehyun suggests, throwing his arm over Hyoyeon’s shoulders. She blushes and snuggles into his side. I nod and we all head to said place in one big group.

Shortly after, we find ourselves in the VIP Lounge. Youngjae and Daehyun barricade the doors and close all the blinds to ensure no Infected catch sight of us. I decide to take a wander around the area to familiarise myself with the layout. I spot the AIs standing in a group, rationing food together.

“Oh, great. They’re back,” I hear Taeyeon grunt as she glances up from the cans of food in front of her. The others look up and only Hakyeon maintains a neutral face while the others scowl.

“Please tell me the annoying blonde died,” Jade sneers. Just then, Tao and Hyoyeon join my side and Jade lets out a groan of obvious displeasure. “My luck just keeps getting worse.” She leers at Hyoyeon, to which Hyoyeon responds with a contemptuous glare of her own.

“Tao, you’re alright,” Hakyeon notes, looking the other AI up and down. “Good, I was concerned for your livelihood.” 

“Thanks,” Tao replies, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “I am quite alright, as you can see. Hyerim and her friends did well in keeping me alive. Funny, they were also nice to me.”

“Was that a dig?” Neon demands, pinning Tao with a threatening glare. 

“If the shoe fits, lace that up and wear her!” Hyoyeon replies in his place. Neon’s eye twitches and he moves towards her. Hakyeon and I both roll our eyes and he puts his arm out, holding his AI back. 

“Enough.”

“But—”

“Enough,” Hakyeon growls and Neon immediately cools his fiery attitude. He flicks his eyes between me and Tao before settling me on. “Thank you for keeping him alive and well.”

“It wasn’t a bother. He kept us alive, too,” I say truthfully, squeezing Tao’s arm. The AI looks down at me and his eyes flash silver, a smile teasing the corners of his lips. I bow at Hakyeon before turning away. Tao and Hyoyeon follow me. “It’s so weird being back with everyone.”

“I know,” Hyoyeon agrees, looking around the lounge. Kyuhyun and Mino are sitting in the far corner, poking each other in the ribs as they laugh at something unbeknownst to the others. Julien has one arm over Jiyong’s shoulders and the other over Jimin’s. Karim is standing with Kwangmin and Youngmin as they attempt to help him improve his speech. Jungkook is sitting on one of the sofas with Bora tucked safely under his arm and Daeho sitting on his lap, the five year old giggling madly as Jungkook tickles him ceaselessly with only one hand. 

Even Sehun is mingling with Daehyun, the two males sitting with sniper rifles on their laps as they fix them whilst simultaneously chatting away. Youngjae has his nose buried in his own journal, his hand seemingly having taken on a life of its own as it scribbles away on a page.

“I missed this,” Hyoyeon sighs, casting her eyes around the large room with a satisfied smile on her face. “I know it doesn’t stop the hell that’s going on outside these walls and it doesn’t help us fight against those Infected s but…it’s nice. It’s reassuring.”

“No, it does help,” Tao states and she looks at him, her brows raised slightly. “It does help us fight against those Infected s. Being surrounded by people you care about drives you to try harder, to push on further. Life is a battle you can’t fight alone.”

“Well, , Sonny. Look at you being all sentimental,” Hyoyeon teases and he makes a face at her. “What, you don’t know who Sonny is?” He shakes his head and she gasps, turning to me. “Please tell me you got that reference.”

“Nope,” I reply casually and she groans, shaking her head exasperatedly. 

“Sonny! You know, from that movie with Will Smith?