#a minor apocalypse

[the-railroad-earth]

"Perhaps indifference, the child of mediocrity, is a volatile material like the mist which petrifies, forms crags, and rises to the sky in a mountainous mass while crushing our pitiable life? Perhaps transparent, colorless, odorless, formless, sluggish, ubiquitous, nice, cozy, innocent indifference is the only sin which can gum up the sieve of Providence? And could it be that only for that sin, which is not a sin, we will be judged on judgment day?"

Tadeusz Konwicki | A Minor Apocalypse

[ckret2]

So the trick to get you in the groove to work on on oc stuff is that first you put them in a fic for something your alredy working on and rhen let them bloom

You say that like you think I haven't tried it.

The problem is, for the way I write fanfic—I go hardcore on the canon compatibility—a really good fanfic OC has to be woven so deeply into the context of the original canon universe and canon story that you can't rip the canon out of them without undermining the whole foundation of their identity as a character. One you remove the canon, all you're left with is superficial surface details that no longer make sense without the canon you've stripped away.

For me developing the kind of OC that could stand wholly independent from the source material means a failure to write the kind of OC that I feel is appropriate for the fanfic I created the OC for. If the OC is whole and complete and fully developed and needs nothing if you remove the original canon context, then what the hell are they doing in that canon anyway? If the canon has no major impact on who they are?

[profoundbondfanfic]

A Fabulous Evening’s Apocalypse

A Fabulous Evening’s Apocalypse by MrBotanyB @mrbotanyb Rating: Teen and up Word Count: 62k

Look at it this way: Their trip to the far end of space and time to chase a (very) long shot at freeing Dean from the Mark of Cain could have ended a lot worse than it did. It wasn't even the worst idea they'd ever had. The so-called Restaurant At the End of the Universe loops endlessly in time through the final hours of Creation while guests dance, eat, and drink until the very last of last calls. A consequence of it being a time loop is that anybody who visits can meet everybody else who was ever there. Even a centuries-dead witch who likes the challenge of lifting unbreakable curses. It didn't work out like they'd hoped, but they didn't die. And Cas did get stranded there for a bit but they got him back. Eventually. So it was fine. That was then. And now, Sam and Dean are out of ideas for getting Cas out of the Empty. Dean has been thinking a lot about realizing important truths too late, and missed chances, and (very) long shots. And he wonders if the key to rescuing the Cas he lost might just be enlisting the help of the Cas he left behind nearly ten years ago. If it doesn't work, at least he'll get to see Cas one more time.

I'll admit I am the number one target audience of this fic. I am a massive Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy fan. That being said, you don't have to love that series to enjoy this story.

Expect Dean and Cas in increasingly ridiculous surroundings, fun aliens, working conditions that would make OSHA weep, and some timey wimey ridiculousness that is really quite clever and fun. Also pining. So much delicious pining.

The OCs are a treat as is the setting at The Restaurant at the End of the Universe aka Milliways. If you ARE a fan of HHGTTG, you will also have fun spotting the references.

And, of course, like any good fix-it, we get a happy ending for Dean and Cas.

[aromantic-eight]

"OOO do you think the temple of yondalla has a collections box we could loot?" "Probably! It might be UNDER THE ALTAR where you found the MONEY, LAST SESSION." -- The DM to the party after a full half session of the party checking every single room of an explicitly empty temple for valuables, after they found the clearly telegraphed valuables they actually came for.

[1nt3rnalpu7ref4ct10n]

s4e14

[depressedhouseplant]

Just Fucking Write - Day 114

“No one knew how the plague started. All they knew was that summer, the hottest summer anyone could remember, the dead began to rise.”

Masterlist here

Tags: Major Character Death

A/N: The gloves have officially come off.

Soobin woke up to his face buried in a strong shoulder. As he opened his eyes and reoriented himself, he realized he’d rolled over and was sleeping across Sangyeon’s body. The older man looked down at him when he realized he was awake.

“Morning,” he smiled.

“How long was I asleep?” Soobin asked.

“About five hours. Not as long as you need, but probably better than you’ve gotten for a while,” Sangyeon replied.

“And you’ve been awake this whole time?” Soobin rubbed his eyes.

“I told you I’d be here when you woke up,” Sangyeon told him.

“I had a crazy dream,” Soobin said then paused.

“About?” Sangyeon asked.

“I feel silly even saying it, but we were married and lived in this big house on the beach and you were a famous singer,” Soobin replied.

“Sounds like a good dream to me. Your subconscious likes me enough to marry me?” Sangyeon smiled.

“I guess,” Soobin hid his face in Sangyeon’s shoulder.

“I did tell you I like you enough that I want to keep you around yesterday,” Sangyeon ruffled Soobin’s hair.

“I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a while. Things have been too busy to talk about when we hooked up, but I think it could be more than a hookup,” Soobin propped his chin on Sangyeon’s shoulder.

“I’d like that,” Sangyeon agreed, placing a gentle kiss on Soobin’s lips.

“Boss! Get out here!” Sunwoo yelled as he ran toward their spot. Beomgyu was close in tow looking wild eyed.

“What happened?” Sangyeon sat up.

“It’s Kai…he’s back but everyone else…” Sunwoo panted.

“Everyone else what?” Sangyeon stood up and grabbed Sunwoo’s shoulders.

“They’re dead,” Beomgyu finished. “They’re all dead.”

[claitea]

wait hey hold on. were there multiple heroes of truth and ideals over time or were they immortal because why is there a 500 year difference between the establishment of the relic castle and the abyssal ruins

edit: post cancelled no actual proof for the heroes to have been around 3000 years ago. my tags are still relevant though i think

[parkercore-69]

i wish someone woulda told me about the medical malpractice pipeline before i watched re-animator cuz now im sat watching house md and i dunno whats become of me

[paganminiskirt]

I’m firm in the stance that fancontent born from those “hurrr Yamcha is just a bitter cuck” takes tends to be dull as dust but one of these days I really want to see an edit of him, Bulma and Vegeta set to these lines right here.

[gtwscratch]

Smart Decisions

Summary: Scar's left alone in the zombie apocalypse, having lost everyone he's cared about, but maybe he isn't entirely alone

CW: angst, mentions of death/grief/loss, self-deprecation, minor animal injury, mention of animal death(?? Scar sort of comes to that conclusion)

I promise you guys there's a happy ending

Word count: 1,558 words

===============================

Even before the zombie apocalypse started, Scar had never been known for making smart decisions. He acted before thinking—speaking, too—and was always too enthusiastic to enact plans that would always end in disaster. There was always someone telling him not to do this or that, but when you’re alone in the apocalypse, there’s no one to tell you what you can and can’t do.

So, if Scar wants to talk friendly to the undead like they aren’t trying to kill him? Perfectly fine! He wants to decorate his survival base to look nice? Hell yeah! Scar wants to waste his bullets and go a bit crazy to let off some steam? He’ll waste all the bullets he wants! Scar’s never had more freedom in his life.

That doesn’t distract him from the fact that everyone he once knew is gone, though. Every risky and stupid move he makes, he can almost hear their responses.

You know they’re not going to respond, right, says a dark-haired man with glasses, humor in his tone.

It looks nice, mate, but we should be focusing on fortifying it rather than making it look pretty, says a tall, lanky man with a mustache.

Scar! We need to save those! They’re a limited resource, says a short, blond man with beautiful, colorful wings.

Scar’s heart aches whenever he thinks of them. He misses them dearly. He replays what happened to them again and again, trying to think of what more he could’ve done to keep them alive. Maybe if he had gotten more serious, then he’d still have his brother. If he had been paying more attention, his friend wouldn’t have gotten bitten. If he hadn’t nodded off, his partner would still be with him, in his arms. But no matter how much he thinks, nothing will change. They’re gone, and Scar’s left alone, wondering why he’s the one still alive while the others are dead. He knows they wouldn’t want him to blame himself, but survivor’s guilt is a bitch.

He wanders through one of the empty buildings on a bright day. It’s been a rough morning, Scar having woken up from a night terror that involved pretty wings being torn apart. He just needs to take a good, long breather outside the safety of his home (more of a base than a home at this point, really). He knows the building’s clear, so he wanders freely through the third floor. He tries to ignore the night terror and the memories of that day, he really does. He does some breathing exercises, he tries to shake out the anxiety and bad feelings through his hands, and he tries to think up blueprint plans like when he was an engineer, but he can’t shake it. He’s overwhelmed with grief and panic, and it quickly turns to anger.

That shouldn’t have happened. None of it should have happened. They were all so capable, and they should have survived. 

They would have survived if it wasn’t for me.

Without thinking, Scar kicks over a trash can with an ugly cry. He flips a table. He grabs the baseball bat with nails sticking out of it that’s hanging at his waist and smashes an old computer with it. He breaks old mugs. He bashes and punches holes into the flimsy material of cubicles. He breaks a window. He throws a chair. He hears a yowl. He stomps- wait, he hears a yowl?

Scar is broken out of his sorrow and fury by the sound. He stops, going very quiet and still to hear the noise again. After a few moments, there's another yowl, quieter than the first one. He follows the sound to the overturned table and looks behind it. He blinks when he sees a little gray and white kitten cowering there.

He quickly wipes his eyes. When had he started crying? He kneels down and speaks softly. “Hey there, what’re you doing here all by yourself?” Scar reaches a gloved hand out.

The kitten hisses at him and bats at his hand, her tail fluffing up more than it already was. Scar coos softly to the kitten, trying to calm her. “It’s okay.. I’m not gonna hurt you.” Despite her hissing, he manages to carefully pick her up. Upon doing so, he notices her back left paw was injured. Or was it her right paw? Scar was never good at telling his right from his left.

He feels tears burn his eyes again, and shame fills his chest. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I cause that? I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t see you. I never would have thrown everything. I’m so sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry.” A few tears run down Scar’s face as he continuously apologizes to the small cat, petting her and trying to calm her down. Scar can see the fear in her eyes, and he gently shushes her.

“Here, stay still for a second, yeah?” he sniffles. “I think I’ve got some bandages on me.” 

He lets go of the cat, which, to his surprise, stays in his lap despite her fluffed-up, flicking tail. He pulls out a roll of bandages from his bag, sighing in relief. “Thank god I didn’t forget it this time.” He carefully tries to stretch out the kitten’s leg so he can wrap it, but he realizes his gloves are a little too padded to handle the bandages. He takes them off to work more easily, and he’s surprised at how soft her fur is despite it being matted in some spots. 

Scar takes a moment to gently scratch between her ears to relax her further. “You’re okay, see? I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I’m sorry.” He keeps petting her before carefully moving her leg. He’s careful as he wraps it and is quite impressed with how well-behaved the kitten is. Maybe she’s been just as lonely as him out here and wanted some company. That’s what Scar hoped at least. Not that he hopes she’s been alone! He just couldn’t think of another reason that she’d be so willing to let a stranger pick her up and pet her like this.

It doesn’t take long for him to be finished. “All right, there you go, little lady. How’s that feel?” Scar keeps his hands back. As much as he wants to keep petting her, he doesn’t want to smother her and scare her off. To his surprise, she butts her head against his stomach with a quiet, “mrow.”

Scar exhales shakily, smiling and wiping at his eyes again. He holds his hand out and smiles wider when she rubs her face against it. He scratches under her chin. 

“Well, aren’t you just a little sweetheart? I guess that means you accept the apology, huh?” Scar just sits there, continuing to pet her, and the kitten starts to purr. He stays like that for a long while before glancing out the window and notices the sun setting. Carefully, he picks her up off his lap and sets her on the ground. 

“Welp, I’ve got to get back to my survival shelter before it gets too dark. You see, it’s easier to evade all the undead when it’s light out and I can actually see them,” Scar explains. “I’m not like you with your night-vision eyes.”

She simply meows up at him as he stands. He smiles back at her, a sad smile. “You take care of yourself now, okay? Stay away from those zombie guys, and I hope that leg heals up soon.” He walks over to grab his bat, and the kitten meows again, a little louder. Scar looks over to see her limping towards him.

“No, no, you’ve got to stay here. I’m sure you’re mama will be here to get you soon,” he says as he hooks the bat to his belt again. “I’m sure she won’t be too happy to see you missing from where she left you.” He starts to walk to the stairwell, but her meows become louder and longer, like she’s demanding him to take her with him. He stops and looks over to her, the sight tugging at his heartstrings.

This poor little cat, so small in the middle of the torn-up office space, is limping towards him as quickly as she can. Scar wonders how long she’s been up here. How long she’s been without food. How long she’s been alone with no one to take care of her because surely, if she had a mother, her coat wouldn’t be so unkept and messy. 

Scar had never been known for making smart decisions, and maybe this wasn’t the smartest decision, but he knew that if he left this kitten here by herself, it would be the absolute dumbest thing he’s done in his entire life.

He walks over and scoops her up in one hand, holding her carefully to his chest. “Okay, okay, you win,” he says with a soft smile. “So pushy. Don’t expect to get your way like this all the time, your highness.” She simply meows at him and butts her head against his chest, purring once again, and Scar instantly knows that he’s going to spoil this cat as much as he can.

The two leave the building, and Scar’s heart is a little less broken than when he entered it.

===============================

This has been on my mind for literal MONTHS, and I'm so incredibly proud of the outcome. I hope you guys liked it as well!

I have another TDC idea where Scar is taken from that world and brought into Hermitcraft, but I have to do quite a bit more thinking on it, and that will have multiple parts to it :)

[everlasting-rainfall]

I was looking through your Please Read post and am really interested about both the Love Apocalypse and Mysterious Forest Au’s.

Would the love apocalypse be in a more modern setting?

If it weren’t how do you think that would work in the world of One Piece? I had some idea forming but I feel like the execution would require some finagling. Would defiantly be harder to try and get away though if you’re stuck on a ship.

Oh now I’m wondering is it air born? Would it be in the water? Maybe some sort of weapon that the World Government was testing and it turned into this?

Also I know I said I was also interesting in the Mysterious Forest Au but that one feels a bit more self explanatory. No less fun though. I really love all the Au’s you come up with.

Thank you so much for the compliments, dear! I really appreciate it!

A lot of the concepts for my AU’s actually just come out of nowhere while I’m zoning out, and thinking about things that I enjoy. Like hell, Mystical Forest is a combination of the game Darkwood, Cinderella, and the part of me that’s a severe monster fucker

I don’t remember how I came up with Love Apocalypse though, I don’t even remember when I got that idea to be completely honest. Maybe it was from watching too many MLP Infection AU’s... But regardless, it’s a fun AU and I enjoy it!

Anywho I’m starting to ramble so allow me to start answering your questions, dear!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

People Becoming Zombies, A Plague Being Released on the World, Bug Bite Mention, Island Being Destroyed, Islands in Chaos, Implied Death

!-POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNINGS-!

!-MINORS DO NOT INTERACT AT ALL-!

“Would Love Apocalypse be set in modern day?”

It could go either way in all honesty. It could be set in modern day, or it could be set in the normal One Piece world.

I do personally set it in modern day when I think about it a lot of the time, but there’s absolutely no reason why the scenario couldn’t be set in the normal One Piece world either.

So the answer is both depending on scenario.

“Is it airborne? Is it in the water?”

Typically when I do play with the concept, it’s kind of like a zombie virus sort of thing. One person gets it then kisses someone to spread it.

However I never really wondered how the virus spreads further if the love zombies typically stay in their own groups. So I guess it could be airborne, or in the water.

Maybe it’s like standing next to someone who has a fever though? Stay next to the infected person for too long or touch them too much, and it’ll cause you to get sick too.

Maybe it stays dormant for a while too so you don’t even realize that you’re spreading it until it’s too late, and you’ve already infected a good amount of people.

“What caused this?”

I’m pretty sure that you asked this question, and even if you didn’t, it’s probably still a good idea to answer it!

So I did do some thinking, and I did come to an idea of what might have caused this. Let’s take a patient zero, and let’s call them Heart. Heart likes to go exploring, and they explore anywhere that they can.

Heart goes somewhere that they’ve never gone before, and finds a mysterious plant that they’ve never seen before. The plant releases a pink almost glittery powder upon being touched, Heart breathes it in.

Smells good! Heart could uproot the plant, and take it home but even if he doesn’t then they still go home. Heart goes around his island for the next few days not realizing what they have, they hang out with people and do all this stuff which unknowing infects people.

Heart starts to develop symptoms after a week, and eventually becomes Patient Zero aka the first Love Zombie. Before this happened, all the people who were unknowingly infected have gone off island or interacted with others.

Boom! Worldwide Love Plague!

There also is another way though too, and I had an idea. It was that this little extinct race of bugs known as Love Bugs appear. Maybe they were revived via science, or maybe they were thought to be extinct.

Either way being bit by one turns you into a Love Zombie. Personally as much as I do like Love Bugs. Typically those concepts are more permanent for a story like “I have to get away from them, and find a cure before they give me a Love Bug to be bitten by!”

So the Love Apocalypse’s true cause is the plant scenario.

“How would the concept work in the One Piece world?”

Okay so I’ve never been good at answering questions like this. My sincerest of apologies, so I’ll try my best to do so. I’ll probably wind up messing it up though, so bear with me.

I feel like it would be pretty hard for people to avoid it no matter how it spreads, Marie Geoise has definitely been quarantined like no one is getting in unless it’s an absolute emergency. Anyone who leaves isn’t getting back in either.

And just like always, the world government is leaving the rest of the world to fend for themselves until a cure is found or something happens. The island where the plant was found is probably wiped off the face of the earth for good measure.

Of course that doesn’t stop anything, and a bunch of other islands are infected. Can’t destroy them all. So a lot of islands do go into lockdown too, or try to.

I feel like Egghead Island goes under pretty serious quarantine protocols, they do have a few Love Zombies to examine and take samples from. That way, there is hope for a way to fix this entirely.

Pirates and Marines would probably be the most affected by this in all honesty, they stay on ships a lot. If one person comes back to the ship infected then it’s gonna probably spread like wildfire. It’s probably the time when you’ll see very few Marine ships out on patrol, and traveling. Probably less pirates too.

Some islands might even become so afraid of the Love Apocalypse that they might start even trying to get rid of anyone that they suspect is infected. Lock em up, kill em, banish em. Anything just to ensure that it doesn’t spread.

Smaller islands or islands with very little population are probably the safest. Like you might not find a trace of it in a place like Syrup Village, or Foosha Village. Assuming no visitors come by, that is.

Skypiea remains entirely unaffected, and I don’t know about Fishman Island but something tells me that they’re alright. Same with Amazon Lily.

Once a cure is found and distributed, or something is found out about the love virus like it wears off after a week or something like that. That’s when the chaos finally dies down, it’s gonna take a while before things fully return to normal. With some places probably never returning to normal at all!

Despite being called love apocalypse though. Things never really get that apocalyptic funnily enough like the world isn’t gonna end, I just think Love Apocalypse sounds cooler than Love Virus or Love Plague.

[chailiker]

im actually quite happy with how the rat grinders story ended this season…we didn’t have time for an on screen redemption. the persuasion checks they made for the princesses in the neverafter final battle felt very natural in that story and setting but here it would’ve felt too saccharine

[steddieunderdogfics]

I'd like to recommend 1,512 Days by staymagical. It's a lovely pocket-sized zombie apocalypse au that's tense with action and brings the boys together in a heartfelt reunion that I just keep coming back to.

1,512 Days by staymagical

Rating: Teens and Up

3,527 words, 1/1 chapters

Archive Warning: Graphic Violence

Tags: Post-Canon, Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Violence, Gun Violence, They're fighting zombies, So violence is inevitable, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, No beta we die like the corrupted in the backroom of an abandoned Subway

Summary:

Over a year after Vecna's defeat, the apocalypse still happened. Only not in the way any of them ever expected. Eddie is nearly 2,000 miles away from Hawkins when the world comes crashing down. But he's determined to make it back home, even if it kills him. Which, is looking very likely with each day that passes.

Thanks for the rec!

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[dykedvonte]

thoughts on the best ending slide where the Khans and Followers of the Apocalyspe meet up in the north and create a mighty society?

I think its so interesting because on the basis of FNV it's likely The Followers would not fuck have actually fucked with The Khans.

Like not in a mean way but Followers and the Khans differ on pretty fundamental levels. They already had prior and brief interactions where the Followers taught the Khans how to make a lot of the chems they sell, hoping they'd use it for benevolent purposes. They likely would not be happy or thrilled to know what they were actually using them for or that they were supplying them to the Fiends of all people. Especially if Julie Farkas is still in charge, she reacts very negatively to the idea of working with the Atomic Wrangler on the sole fact they intentionally hook their patrons on substances to keep them coming. Even if the Khans stopped there'd be the question if the Followers would look past this for cooperation.

We also have the fact that the followers are generally pacifists and loathe violence. They have guards as holding such beliefs makes them a vulnerable group but it's still another contrast from the more aggressive Khans. Not even to get started on them siding with the Legion, who will slaughter the Followers if they win (on the condition Caesar is dead) or run them out of the Fort and have a kill-on-sight protocol for them. The rule of fiction is they bonded over being run out or settled their differences but the build-up to the thriving empire is so much more interesting, along with the current state of it as it no doubt had to alter a lot of Khan traditions.

What I find most interesting about this ending is more so the effect the player has on it. If we use the idea the Followers they reconnect with are a different branch, then the Khans only go on to create a legacy and become a powerhouse again like in the first game. If we like to believe the Followers influenced positively then for good too (and not like their Fallout 1 predecessor). It's a clean slate for them in Wyoming but I do question what happened to the people already settled there?

If we take it was the Followers from the Fort, this route only happens if the player pointedly neglects a lot of Follower interaction and begs the question if they were desperate for a protective allegiance. The Followers are already run ragged with demands by the time the Courier gets there and being forced to leave under any of the conditions wouldn't help either. Just because they helped the Khans doesn't mean it was because they went with the same goals, more so it was mutually beneficial, much more on the Khans side because they would have to give significantly less up as the providers in this scenario.

Ultimately I think it's interesting no matter what because I like to imagine the turmoil and beef they had before cooperation. The Followers are seen as peace-loving doctor hippies by a lot of the Mojave and NCR but they are never truly hated. They just suck at actually forming alliances. To where the Khans' history and reputation are a big reason why they had to side with the Legion for revenge on the NCR despite the NCR not being loved either. To have to work with a group that previously sided with the faction that wanted you dead or just in general went against what you stood for is fascinating from a story standpoint. The fact that they prospered is another!

It's also interesting as this is treated as a much better thing for the Great Khans as it only appears on their ending slide and not the Follower's.

[mirrortouchedsea]

HiMERU was fuming when he walked into the church. His brother was just sitting here this whole time, not even bothering to look for him or do anything useful? HiMERU needed to stay calm. His fists were clenched at his side. He walked up to Tatsumi Kazehaya and asked him if he had been keeping Kaname against his will, which was met with a negative response. Kaname had stayed of his own free will. I would never force someone to stay, Tatsumi said.

HiMERU stormed over to his brother seated in one of the pews next to Amagi’s younger brother and the other child he couldn’t be bothered to learn the name of and grabbed him by the wrist. Let’s go, there’s no reason for you to stay here. Kaname resisted, though HiMERU was stronger and continued walking out to where Rinne, Niki and Kohaku were sitting outside. 

Onii-chan I can’t leave. That priest said he wasn’t forcing you to stay so we’re going. He isn’t but--onii-chan please just listen-- 

HiMERU took one step outside the chapel, Kaname’s hand breaching the doorway, still in his grasp. It suddenly felt… 

He looked down and saw it begin to rot away. 

I can’t leave, Onii-chan. 

[depressedhouseplant]

Just Fucking Write - Day 150

Prompt: More Apocalypse AU!

Tags: Guns

Younghoon jumped and pulled his gun when he heard the door open. Juyeon froze and held up his hands.

”Just me,” he said.

”Right,” Younghoon holstered his weapon and turned back to looking at the decimated cityscape.

”I thought you’d be excited,” Juyeon sat next to him.

”About what?” Younghoon asked.

”Hyunjae still being alive,” Juyeon replied.

”We don’t know that for sure,” Younghoon rested his chin on his knees.

”No, but knowing what was in that canister and what they gave Kai, there’s a pretty good chance he’s still alive,” Juyeon said.

”I just, I never expected it to be him. I thought it would be me,” Younghoon sighed.

”That mysteriously disappeared?” Juyeon asked.

”Or died first,” Younghoon told him.

”Sangyeon seems ready to stage a rescue,” Juyeon pointed out.

”He’s bored and restless. He never gets to go out anywhere. It’s always me or Hyunjae or Hak or Sunwoo. He doesn’t even know where they are and I wouldn’t trust Kai’s memory on getting there,” Younghooon replied.

”Sounds like there’s a lot of things you don’t trust,” Juyeon said.

”I try to be optimistic for Hyunjae, you know? Be the one who believes that somehow we’ll come out of this. Now that he’s gone, I dunno. I don’t really see the point anymore,” Younghoon shrugged.

“That’s not the Kim Younghoon I know,” Juyeon said.

”I’m not the Kim Younghoon you knew,” the other man replied.

”That’s a shame. The Kim Younghoon I knew was a good man,” Juyeon looked at him.

”He was,” Younghoon agreed.