"...A whale?"

Uijae pressed Sayoung’s head gently against his chest with the hand that had been patting his back. A sweet scent filled the air.

The whale, stark white and enormous, had leapt from the sea. From its appearance alone, it didn’t seem like a monster, but Uijae couldn’t be sure. There was too little information. Was it a hostile creature or merely one of the life forms lingering in this desolate, ruined world? Or perhaps...

"...Hyung," Sayoung whispered.

The soft murmur snapped Uijae back to reality. By the time he looked up again, the whale had already disappeared beneath …