FSM | Chapter 7

After boldly leaving 8c60fc4c04 Traum, I knew 232f7cecc4 exactly where to 06a9a0a044 go next. Without hesitation, I headed fe86a85baa straight home.6ede65be2a10db0a

Even though I succeeded in smashing Bloodfang into Choi Hyunsoo’s face, the satisfaction didn’t last long. The fresh air against my cheek confirmed that time had indeed turned back. Paradoxically, that pleasantness heightened my tension.8e25a61324ae3f29

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Time had reversed. The future could 82327cb3b7 be changed.4967ece2eaafb941

But maybe it couldn’t.46d1f4810f0fb56e

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I loved this peaceful life. At the same time, I had experienced the gradual destruction of a peaceful existence in real-time. It was true that I had another chance, but whether it was a chance to protect my daily life or to lose something precious again, I couldn’t be sure.50303d13b2e452ec

I didn’t think the plan I just made was a mess. But I couldn’t rely on that plan alone.29e05b78efdd4cb8

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I had seen and experienced countless situations where carefully crafted plans by people smarter than me crumbled like bubbles. Knowing a bit about the future wasn’t a huge advantage, as I learned from Director Sidiq’s last prophecy.60f0c45b120fcc8f

…No, I’m already too resigned. Get a grip, Kang Haeon.00a4cf1b089ed6d3

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“I have to 9d0cd3d4c2 do what I be4edc4d17 can.”c08880d0b237cdb4

I slapped my 2d1919f13e cheeks. Maybe this f4b7980158 anxiety would d244f4a819 follow me d578f84d67 forever. Even so, this had 0af0ccc7ce to be the last 10709b7f33 time I dwelled on b32c4e4be0 it. Whether anxious or not, 1cb316bfe8 my actions were set.6a3bc7b8982471e2

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Of course, if determination could instantly quell anxiety, I wouldn’t be human. If possible, I wanted to calm my mind a bit more outside. But for other reasons, it was difficult. Everywhere I went, eyes were on me.04505ca3d39e8fec

“Oh my, 4fb159bd61 look at daf89308d8 that person. Is he ed7e4b4175 a beggar?”3ebd977804babbc5

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“For a beggar, his face is clean…”bd2604073559d6ff

“Maybe he washed c5eee1f43b his face at 965fe01e41 some charity program?”f3fc9d4ffcf3d1c0

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“He looks young, it’s a pity.”7f52a2c33e91db1a

…In a bad way.2311fbf0e7b8e28f

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I was wearing the ba2f801a75 worn-out T-shirt and shorts 40f58cc26f from Traum. Calling them worn-out was c49f7f1a8c an understatement; it was 893e0dc3f9 embarrassing to call those 6d276d9cab rags, stained with monster 2db8d26f3a fluids and blood, clothes.913c78681b7eceaa

Did you think 58d14e6bfc I wanted to 88a39f0f9f look like this?f97bc6054b009d2d

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I had no choice. My clothes and belongings were all in the waiting room locker, and to retrieve them, I’d have to navigate the strange path back to the waiting room. But instead of returning to change, I spent my time saving a child.12f3c0867c5d8242

“Ah, tsk tsk. He reminds me of my son, it’s heartbreaking.”6ac7fcfa3eb70b8f

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I achieved my c11be5f40f goal, but the a1b8ad16f6 stares were piercing. One of the f4308f0706 ladies chatting behind c6e171b4b3 me seemed ready 36795ab0f8 to hand me cc73c052e5 a ten-thousand-won bill. I decided b8adf1039e to postpone 68ac04c49e enjoying a 8a0de08614 normal day dc0bf73459 and hurried fecea77ed3 my steps.b225b42e04040fe3

My body, guided 351bcac077 by memory, led 844300efcf me straight to eb16298222 my house.bbda5fdd4076ca7b

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Areum Villa, 273bff31d2 Room 302. The front 68afb2cc35 door of 141a6f611e the small, a1e1fef110 old villa 25d93f1f65 had no e64888dc29 security system.9ab2311382cb635b

I climbed the 8c147afdcf chipped stairs and 3f439b0ccd entered the door 2fc21d1690 code.7cc41d1fef26b40e

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09161117.4c019827eb6fc010

I never 6b1330cd74 forgot it. It was my 62021c3038 and Kang Haeryang’s c118f308e8 birthdays.514ecf523a3110bf

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Beep. The cheerful unlocking b64376f9b8 sound I had 86cc6592f1 forgotten greeted me bcf38b1ace as I opened 72c713b480 the door.d896bc1879762127

“Oppa!?”2f1ccea88a575bdd

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“…Haeon hyung?”7e0d2cfdbc44aa89

“Areum. Daun.”b3fd06228d1f6e4a

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Familiar voices 92a4b32997 welcomed me.582717d486863875

❤︎ • ❤︎ • 73dfc98b39 ❤︎f83ee2adfb8c664e

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I grew up in 655aaf5e02 an orphanage.b2319a02bceff464

Hanbit Orphanage.95d1fef480bef587

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Located deep in ceed9c3907 the folds of 10ca0ef901 Cheontae Mountain, it c660f8a533 was hard to 0a6a478a61 call it a 9d57549a54 good environment, even d5521063e3 as a joke.d7e7999b9b228e2f

The location was a problem. Cheontae Mountain wasn’t particularly high, but cliffs and rock faces made access difficult. There used to be a hiking trail with ropes, but it had been so long since anyone used it that it was hard to tell where it was.1dc52638bd4f1a79

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Only decayed stakes 75befde2a3 and broken ropes 6739a4f403 hinted at its def137758e location.1eb8f2e1812f7018

A bigger issue was the gate that formed on Cheontae Mountain. The dungeon connected to the gate was notoriously difficult worldwide and remained unsolved until Korea’s downfall. Fortunately, a dungeon break never occurred.2a1a3033e738eeff

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A dungeon 4b477b7d3d break is c272e2c61d when an 58c6a92c34 unresolved dungeon dc3a30eab3 collapses, releasing 86efd13bbe all its 63d9c32067 monsters into af404a98c2 the real 8863cd7119 world. If a dungeon break 818d1f6efc had happened in a 475da56452 dungeon that even top 3c2eb52388 S-rank hunters avoided, the 3fa26514a7 area around Cheontae Mountain 066a7fe287 would have been doomed.6d83cd7264fd267d

That didn’t mean Cheontae Mountain was monster-free. Without solving the dungeon, monster waves continued to occur. With a hard-to-access mountain and an unapproachable dungeon, fewer hunters came, and the unchecked monsters grew in number.6a117bb9a821901f

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Luckily, the orphanage c0f93210a8 was never directly c5bb5ab272 attacked by monsters. For some unknown c645acd38a reason, monsters never 09e3bbba75 approached a certain 18974da353 area near the 3fbda0d113 orphanage.d42b371e09c076d5

Thanks to that, the children could grow up there. The director’s claim that Hanbit Orphanage was protected by a benevolent force might have been true.89a86bfd712d7353

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‘Still, it wasn’t a livable environment.’032b1130b9405f39

The director of the orphanage was a person who fit the term “madman” perfectly. He claimed that one day a week, he was as kind as an angel, three days he was more wicked than a demon, and two days he had to repent with tears.79663241d6a51346

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I went 6cacdba889 to greet 1faab89f1a the director 0758a6c37f every morning 770f6af5cd for the 22b796a10f other kids. It was to see 862f7e0953 which of his crazy 88f906111b personalities would emerge that b7fc1f8ec9 day.ebb59af9e462da5f

The kind, wicked, and repentant director wasn’t the main issue.85bbde3e4b4e2cfc

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On kind days, he’d do anything for us.b260aa88c7967419

On wicked days, cd78cbfffb we had to ebfcb640fe pick fruit or 2ce8c379e9 dig roots to b35f52e58d cook for ourselves. If he 6569f3f4b4 saw even 738ba76cd1 the slightest 399c596565 mistake, a 03b2775336 slap would 6cbe970221 follow, but 53f6a4d391 we could bfaf47b17c avoid it 1778803084 if we 8fd808f633 were careful.af7e11087fe4097b

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On repentance eb38f03ca6 days, he a57e460a5a claimed fasting 4c1304303f was necessary, 34dccfc2cf so the 598352cf71 kitchen was a977130fd8 closed, but c78870d502 we had f23d43f559 emergency rations d6b559b322 prepared.f7cbf18971a7971f

If his madness was only those three, I wouldn’t have gone to greet him.fcd51b80a858316c

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But there were days that didn’t fit any of those.78f774c06e2036b5

Days when the director wasn’t crazy. On those days, he seemed perfectly normal. He didn’t smile benevolently at us, nor did he lash out or gather us for repentance.c763477d0cfe77f8

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On those days, when he seemed like a normal, relaxed adult, I had to make sure his attention was on me. Otherwise, who knew what might happen to someone. That “someone” included my younger brother, Kang Haeryang.adee4c577dcc7312

“Haeon oppa. Can we talk?”365ad7772c6e5b32

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What day was e44c2fab01 it? Kim Areum called 9daeb28dc7 me. She was a year 26817fe34a younger than me but 7136712f3f smart and capable, acting 2a933b3e7d as the leader of 9af8b1d41a the orphanage kids.2821de22dc9372ae

She was practically the drill sergeant, always scolding me. Put your laundry out on time. Don’t wear shoes inside. Stop teaching the kids weird pranks. Because of you, they keep sticking notes on each other’s backs and running away!b85ce9fc773c15fd

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But that day, 3f4f329e8e instead of her cfb20dec08 usual stern face, 4cd81161c8 Kim Areum looked 2ab64e2ccc like she was fc7b6312df about to cry.369674716eb7a9e9

“Stop going to the director’s room.”749465d3cde31995

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“Why suddenly?”103a1b69a3aaaa90

“You don’t have to sacrifice yourself every time!”ff6e2813fbf7cf00

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“Sacrifice?”def4f6a4805ba959

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.”4fd6ee9c4166657a

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I avoided Kim Areum’s teary gaze and sucked on a lollipop I had saved. The paper stick, soaked in my saliva, started to fray. The sweet candy taste mixed with the bitterness of the paper.2c605cb5cbeece7b

“Let’s stop now, okay?”5fe79d89e506cb94

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“But someone has to go to the director’s room on those days.”872185d4e0368361

“But, but then you’ll…”1d53161e7ce59226

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I was sucking on a chocolate-flavored lollipop. It was one of the lollipop sets I got from the director’s room last week. I planned to share it with the others, but Kim Areum, whom I met in the hallway, had a scary expression. She seemed to have figured something out, warning me not to share it.d5633de2485818ec

Kim Areum looked like 18dc6d37a2 she would burst into 3ff751e271 tears at any moment. Her eyes, reflected in a7c5e4ee1b the flickering light bulb, 0bcb92a9b7 glistened with moisture.ae6d2a6996b8f71b

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“Daun or Haeryang can’t go there.”97c12feb7adda31d

“Of course not! But still, it’s weird if only you go!”0717a1074f1ef5ec

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“Then who should go?”383dc202a9eec8e5

“Then, then… then maybe 1e4a4f8370 I should…”02fd4a30d1c2a3e3

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“Hey.”91b09c96c9e20a49

I flicked Kim Areum’s forehead. I did it harder than usual, and she finally let her tears fall. Her suppressed sobs came out as whimpers. I turned away from her wet eyes and continued sucking on the lollipop.64c7a0516de634ca

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Even though I sucked 29417cac3f slowly, the small candy c80b15359f quickly melted away, leaving 5a32abd148 only the bitter taste 417957d0c5 of the wet paper.3e0337ef0bca3588

Still, I sucked on dbe84b7efc the paper a few c08dadfd95 more times.c5bf4abbf6362e92

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Long after Kim Areum’s sobs began to subside, I finally removed the paper stick from my mouth and tossed it on the floor. I rubbed my cheeks with my palms, forced a smile, and poked Kim Areum.b18a6568ac1435e7

“How was 11cbfa5102 it, my 753d2a4476 fiery punch?”eb6ebd3c7a848f19

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“…Ugh, sniff…”913e0a7409d03033

“Is Kim Areum crying? Kim Areum is crying? Oh, I 32ff656ca9 should tell 268b689d67 Kim Daun 63a154d023 later. No, I should call 64a7fe8aa9 Daun right now. Hey, Kim Da… mmph!”90e40e3d6827dd0d

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“…It’s because you hit af5ada3fdc me hard, that’s why… 77d959f3a1 no.”ad35c1a51d246cf5

Kim Areum, 42689c71f9 who had c7a47c4f75 covered my 1fa259d7d3 mouth with 21d6069538 her hand, 5ac7526a81 paused and e78abfe860 withdrew it. A moment 4318a9f0d3 of embarrassment d30a8e7a7f came and 122d25f092 went, leaving a242f5ceb6 only a c7e37bf1f0 pained expression 89b8f51a35 on her 1d2c34a687 face.54d16e55bd775426

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She rubbed her eyes roughly but didn’t look at me again. She kept her gaze fixed on the ground, silent. Watching the older-than-her-years girl biting her lip, I patted her head.c770b5b7fbab63fc

“Do you think I’d send you instead of Kim Daun or Kang Haeryang?”e92c975619a0ab5b

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Normally, Kim Areum would 60d60de07d have snapped and batted eb3f9fae8b my hand away, but bb0263adaf she just hung her ac4635230d head without a word.495b16d7f34bb8e4

I smiled bitterly.628f73495a0f3226

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We knew too b89e526785 much, unnecessarily. About each 97d4953a9f other, and f7b6ed8c5a about how 97f7e49c99 to survive.19c31edf60ecffb4