Unexpected Meeting

Rick and Daryl had been traveling for days, scouting the woods outside of Alexandria. They had hoped to find survivors who could contribute to their community, people who still had the strength to keep fighting. They were cautious, knowing the world wasn’t as forgiving as it used to be.

But that day, they weren’t expecting what they found.

It started as a quiet moment when Rick signaled for Daryl to stop. He noticed a trail of footprints, fresh but faint, leading towards a small clearing. They moved in cautiously, prepared for anything, but what they found shocked them.

A couple, seated together on a moss-covered rock, was enjoying an almost serene moment. The man—tall, with striking features and a calm, almost magnetic presence—was holding the hand of a woman beside him. She looked younger, but there was a quiet strength in her eyes. She was laughing softly, her head resting on his shoulder.

Daryl raised an eyebrow. "Well, this is a first," he muttered under his breath.

Rick shook his head, his hand instinctively going to his gun, but the man and woman didn’t seem threatening. In fact, they looked... normal. It was as if they hadn’t been surviving in a post-apocalyptic world for years. The way the two sat together, fingers intertwined, and the easy way they shared a quiet laugh spoke of something deeper—something Rick hadn’t seen in a long time. It almost felt... out of place.

"Hey!" Rick called out, his voice firm but not threatening.

The man, who had been looking out over the trees, turned to face them. His gaze was calm, but there was a sharpness in his eyes. "You two lost?" he asked, his voice low and smooth.

"We're not lost," Rick answered, his tone cautious. "We’re looking for survivors. Alexandria. Ever heard of it?"

The woman, who had been quietly listening, finally looked up. She had soft features, and her eyes were kind but guarded. She was wearing a simple dress, despite the harsh world around them. It was something that caught Rick off guard—people didn't dress like that anymore, did they?

She gave a small smile. "I’ve heard of Alexandria," she said. "But we’re fine here. We’ve got our own place."

Rick’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You sure? Alexandria has food, shelter, safety… We could use more people."

The man stood up, his hand never leaving the woman’s. They both moved with a quiet confidence that Rick and Daryl noticed immediately. "We’re fine," the man said simply. "We’ve made it this far, and we prefer to keep our distance from others."

Daryl studied them both. The way their fingers were linked together tightly, the almost unspoken connection between them—it was as if they shared an understanding that went beyond words. The affection was palpable. It was real.

"Don't know about you, but we could always use more help," Daryl spoke up, his tone not as harsh as usual but still direct.

The woman, who had been quiet, spoke again. "We appreciate the offer. But we're good here. Taehyung and I, we’re better off on our own."

"Taehyung?" Rick repeated, slightly confused.

The man nodded. "Yeah, that’s me." He motioned to the woman. "And this is Jihyo."

Rick and Daryl exchanged glances. The two of them... Taehyung and Jihyo—there was something so striking about the pair. It was almost impossible not to notice the chemistry between them, the way they seemed to rely on each other.

Daryl, still watching them, shook his head. "Well, can’t blame you for wanting to stay close, especially in a world like this."

Jihyo laughed softly, a delicate sound that made Rick feel like they were standing in another world altogether. "Yeah, I guess," she said with a smile that seemed to soften the harshness of the world around them. "We’ve been through a lot, but... we're good here. We’ve found our peace."

Taehyung squeezed her hand, his thumb rubbing over her fingers in a gentle gesture. "We don’t need much. Just each other."

Rick couldn’t deny the way that struck him. In the midst of all the violence, the fighting, the loss—here were two people who had found something rare. Something he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Daryl, however, wasn’t ready to give up. "You sure? Alexandria is big, we could use more hands. More people, it’s safer. We’ve got a whole community."

Jihyo looked up at Taehyung, her eyes soft, and they shared a brief, quiet moment—like the world had disappeared for them. Rick couldn’t help but feel the weight of their bond, the way they seemed inseparable.

"We’ve been through enough," Taehyung said finally, his voice calm. "We don’t want to put ourselves in a situation we don’t know. We have our own camp, and it's been working for us."

Daryl nodded, accepting their decision but still not completely understanding it. "Alright," he said gruffly. "If you change your mind, you know where to find us."

As they turned to leave, Rick couldn’t help but glance back at Taehyung and Jihyo, who were still standing together, their hands linked. They didn’t seem worried. They didn’t seem like they were fighting for survival the way others did.

It was... different. The whole encounter left Rick feeling unsettled and a little envious. In a world like this, it seemed impossible for anyone to maintain such calm, such closeness.

As Daryl and Rick walked away, Daryl finally spoke up. "I can’t figure those two out. They seem like they’re in a whole different world, don’t they?"

Rick thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. They do." He shook his head, trying to understand it himself. "But sometimes, maybe that’s the way we all need to be. Maybe they’ve got something figured out that we don’t."

Daryl didn’t reply. He simply shrugged, pulling his hood up as the two of them continued walking, the sounds of the forest around them once again filling the silence.