At ease

"I'm tired, " Dae-su Han said as he leaned backwards on the bed.

"What now? " Jackson Lee wondered out loud.

Chimsy had fallen asleep when Saanvi was still in the room.

Just then, a tall, plump boy crept into the room, his eyes scanning the space with a mix of curiosity and shyness.

"H-hi," he stuttered, his eyes fixed on us with a pleading expression. "Where are you guys coming from?"

Dae-su Han turned to the boy with a warm smile. "Well, do you mean where we are from back on earth? " he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Well, yes. " The boy said looking at the floor.

The boy stood tall, his height imposing, yet his plump build softened his overall stature.

His face was round, with a gentle curvature to his cheeks and a subtle double chin.

His eyes, a deep brown, were large and expressive, fringed with thick eyelashes that added to their allure.

"Well, I am from South Korea," Dae-su Han said, his words sounding so surreal that it was scary.

South Korea started to seem like a long, distant dream and this messed up place was really his reality.

The boy's eyes lit up, his face flushing with excitement. "I am from South Africa." He was excited to meet another group of people.

Everyone in the group he was in was always so busy and gloomy.

No one spared him any time and he didn't have much to contribute.

His abilities weren't battle-oriented and in his group, the battle-oriented people were at the top of the unspoken hierarchy and even at the very top were people like him with utility skills.

But then, even with his utility skills, he wasn't able to make it to the top of the hierarchy.

Dae-su Han nodded, his smile friendly. "Nice to meet you, buddy. What is your name?" Dae-su Han and Jackson Lee were all talkative before the whole ordeal started but only Dae-su Han was able to maintain his yapping nature.

His eyes darted around the room, as he observed the sleeping girl, the disinterested huge guy and me. "I am Kobi Mabaso."

Dae-su Han's eyes lit up with interest. "Kobi Mabaso, that's a beautiful name! I'm Dae-su Han, and this is Jackson Lee." He gestured to Jackson, who nodded in greeting. "And this is Chimsy, and that's Walker"

Kobi's eyes widened as he took in the diverse group. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm happy to meet a new set of people. It can be really boring here at times. Those are usually the times we're not stuck fighting those creatures. "

The conversation really was turning gloomy and Dae-su Han didn't know what to say to the little boy.

'It must be hard for such a young ĺad like him to process everything happening especially when those older than him are even finding it hard to process ' Dae-su Han thought but his thought process was disturbed by the boy he was talking to.

"Well, somehow I've always believed that the world would soon go to shits but I didn't know it'd be this way. "

Dae-su Han's eyes widened in surprise as Kobi launched into a passionate monologue. "I mean, I always thought it would be zombies or aliens, but this...this is something entirely different. And the creatures! Oh man, they're like something straight out of a game. I used to play video games all the time, and I can't help but think that this is all just one plot against humans to train them for some insane big boss fight. "

Kobi's eyes sparkled with excitement as he continued, "I mean, think about it. We're all stuck in this weird place, fighting for survival. It's like a never-ending gaming session. And the skills we have? They're like our characters' abilities. I'm convinced that if we can just figure out the right strategy, we can beat this level and move on to the next one."

Dae-su Han listened, entranced by Kobi's enthusiasm. He couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's antics, and Jackson Lee even cracked a smile.

As Kobi paused for breath, Dae-su Han grinned. "You know, Kobi, you're the first person I've met who's managed to make this place sound even remotely exciting. I think we could all use a bit of your optimism."

Kobi beamed, his face lighting up. "Really? You think so? I've been trying to tell my group that, but they just think I'm crazy."

Dae-su Han clapped him on the back. "Well, we think you're crazy too, but in a good way."

Kobi's face glowed with delight as Dae-su Han complimented him.

For once, he felt like his words were being met with interest and appreciation, rather than eye-rolls and disinterest.

In the group he travelled with on this infernal planet, his attempts to share his thoughts and ideas were often shut down, and he was seen as a nuisance for talking too much.

But here, with these new people who were practically strangers, he felt like he could finally be himself without fear of judgment.

He couldn't remember the last time someone had encouraged him to share his thoughts and ideas, rather than trying to silence him.

For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was among people who truly appreciated him, quirks and all.

"And it's not like we're doing anything here? So you might as well tell us your insane end-of-the-world stories." Dae-su Han said as the pitiful state of humanity started to be drowned by the boy's insane stories.

"Oh, yeah! I've got a whole list of them! I mean, have you considered the possibility that we're all just simulations in some advanced video game? Or maybe, just maybe, we're all actually aliens who've been abducted by a higher race and are being forced to fight in some intergalactic arena?"

Jackson Lee chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. He too was gradually being taken in by the boy's eccentric nature. "Kobi, you're a regular font of crazy ideas, aren't you?"

Kobi grinned, unfazed. "Compared to what's really happening my stories aren't entirely crazy, to be honest. And who knows, maybe one of my theories will actually turn out to be true!"

Jackson Lee's expression turned serious, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at Kobi. "I have a question for you, Kobi. It's about your group. How are they handling this situation?"

Kobi's grin faltered, his eyes dropping to the floor. "To be honest, they're not handling it well. They're all about survival and fighting, but they don't have a plan beyond that. We've lost about five people since I joined."

Jackson Lee's expression turned sombre, his eyes filled with concern. "I'm so sorry to hear that, Kobi. Losing people is never easy. But it sounds like your group is really struggling to work together and come up with a long-term plan."

Kobi nodded, his eyes still downcast. "Yeah, it's like they're just trying to survive from one day to the next. And to be honest, what else could we do except that?"

Dae-su Han frowned, his eyes concerned. "Well, things will be different from now."

Kobi's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? But how?"

Jackson Lee nodded. "Well, you could say that Walker knows what we should all be aiming for."