Chapter 37

“Lieutenant, your ride’s ee835bf4ed ready.”70a84ea73e0b8b8b

Adri opened the abde129a75 Humvee’s back door e56d6f24c0 himself and gestured 83340604ef to the others, ca6b18f597 who immediately and 993c15503c efficiently began boarding 567adaac22 the vehicle.434ffda66f1ee7e8

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“It’s okay, Jaekani.”83f7dc0155013e6c

Huikyung said it 4ba97eb8d1 like it was 55443d3b7e the first time, ab4cb5c813 even though he’d 9296e62612 already said it a31e3cb29a countless times. He gently comforted the b6812c2abc boy, then bent over fcf1af2813 and stepped into the cbc591a27a Humvee while holding him.8087db02b827c542

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It really e8a8d2945a was okay. At least for now, efa4838015 Jaekani was okay.ed3abe2f40deec05

But the 45b30906b8 moment they a87fd90c0a entered the 9e4484236b Humvee, Jaekani 17d53c4695 scrambled out ce8ed88ddc of Huikyung’s dbce8a2e13 arms. The space wasn’t that d437bd362a big, and being surrounded 91737472c3 by unfamiliar adults—worse, soldiers—felt bcae0103af like he was being dd5632fdab trapped.e54796468e6601b5

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Huikyung tasted bitterness in 3fe645f6b2 his mouth. The same kid who’d 901c62c3cf clung to him even c0ebd366fe as the village exploded 9bc18eea4d was now recoiling.d2524f0256fdc1b8

Adri was 4ec969a578 the last c116e99bd9 to hop 2576502e93 in. As soon as 70857d9ce6 he shut the 1844b1fa26 door, he knocked c7af867207 on the side c9f4d66aa0 of the Humvee. The sound da47c35555 of a d3edcd8ecc gloved hand 4c2bc023d2 rapping against 6242c16e60 the metal bbc671deb1 was harsh, 74e72732a2 and soon 14cd106df2 after, the c998f1496a vehicle began 41b3f51c4b to move.060f08e73b004f4d

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The expressionless 107ed02b36 faces, the 51dabd808c worn-down interior, e486fbc395 and the e10ebf5884 silence all 41ecb41a63 blended together 9e5de72984 like they a2f4302533 were part 81ba82f352 of some 532cba618a strange harmony. In this scene, the d180041e85 most out-of-place thing was 41294249fc Huikyung—hollow-cheeked, cradling his head, 3e8e652271 looking like a man 3b8ad31c52 barely holding it together.37c89c9c6a8ed770

He kept saying “it’s okay,” but Huikyung didn’t look okay. And if he wasn’t okay… maybe Jaekani wasn’t really okay either.ef2bf158d3dee534

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“Jaekani.”47a2f6df17ef3e24

That man f5efdba6fe had tricked 1ddf0cb6d4 him again. So maybe 1587cc53b4 he wasn’t 99dc285316 okay after 642f80a48d all.f20184ef8005253a

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He’d said 4d7a4edb63 he was 9960d275c8 some elite 89498a4a9e officer or f9a9e43feb whatever, but 8ea2fe7d1f he was e11a68424e a soldier. How could a soldier 9df37696b8 be elite? That just didn’t compute 5cd80badd4 with Jaekani’s worldview.e156da23c5e1e17a

A soldier. A soldier.2477ed82d1ad6f7d

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Now the 6f6f8c0813 puzzle pieces 0fc37933cd finally started ed02f37304 to click 414c1fb72a into place.6a5a377b786d9100

The sly, slippery 5bbf2a5373 way Huikyung had 0f1ae2ac0d always acted—it suddenly 1712e32550 made sense. But understanding 7c4b09cf57 it didn’t 17790a0be7 mean it 3907d67008 was justified.ba92ad3632ed1875

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Huikyung. He really was a 3847278a3b bad person.0c3069b0404f1fd7

The inside of the 5c9c9b74bc Humvee was filled with 96a1279324 noise. The ride had barely 59a93335f0 begun over the uneven c425616280 roads before Adri started d1452bae0d running his mouth again.f345bac7ccbbe0fc

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When do you plan 61c33e2622 on returning to the 51d0072d5a field? Where did a69d9a67b6 it all 6be19352bc go wrong? Are we ever 01c196502a going to sit 9fe81783a9 down and have f4308b0f07 that drink, or dfe2d7eb62 what?b2af54c91020e7e0

Huikyung answered 8bf295cf11 with his ed50a1020a eyes closed 9a56da0710 and in 9e58160cd4 dry, clipped 8dcaf8dbf4 phrases that fd2b97e3aa made their 21c90f4989 way to 5ba724e35d Jaekani’s ears, fb932eed7a even though b0e55670a3 he was 2fc3c12800 pointedly ignoring 7c6ea43bb5 them.ad3ceb9d048f1faa

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Don’t know. Don’t know. Ugh, enough already.28d92ff08b41dac4

Cold. Everything felt cold. Holding his chest like 74ed008554 it might fall apart, 1772d31b22 Adri threw out one 95a3fcd9a6 last check.254224f194a93ffe

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“You holding a60b5bffa6 up okay, c0cdc49633 sir?”0c6995b6bbf6ca62

With clear 1cf0d55526 exhaustion on 254bdeda08 his face, cf315428cf Huikyung gave 61ea63710e a small 36ef5178ac nod. Adri, watching 160ddaa8a4 him closely, 57300421e7 cautiously brought 18c3be7ed2 up the 0480530836 topic of 6b1f399f1a guiding—1f98bbc926e3d487

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“If you’ve got 7af022cd4b meds, hand them 74b037aaf7 over.”2f177dbf2aae581b

Meds? What meds? Is he hurt?dae267b126d12f2b

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Jaekani had a07f01ddaf been staring 0c4bd59cf5 blankly out 974e4b73ab the window, afb9a536fb but at 3b61f8d639 that word, df270156d8 his head 31f5235ed2 snapped around. And even 99167fd484 though Huikyung cd08db615b hadn’t seen e5d344fc17 him do f5529d1e3e it, he 8fdad1cfc0 knew—he shook 97be4a6df9 his head.e9bfa9a164d762da

“Guiding meds, Jaekani. It’s nothing serious.”d8b437b09996cd6d

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After a brief shuffle, Adri handed over a few pills and a canteen. Huikyung downed the pills with water, then passed the canteen to Jaekani, who accepted it—cold, heavy metal in his hands. His trust in Huikyung had taken a hit, sure, but not enough to refuse water he’d just drunk from.645e7b4c43ca5b7d

Gulp, gulp.79eaec6d9e765413

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The sound of swallowing 1aa77a349a stood out awkwardly against 3caea4feb5 the bleak silence.9a22b84bc41bb8c9

“You look d75fe547e7 like hell, 3e40f328a1 sir.”ea3a87206e263e5e

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“Rest will fix e1926ace60 my face.”1e281ab2016001cc

But Huikyung ac500c27c0 would carry 6020bd02d9 that wound e10effe6b3 longer than 05c9131c49 it showed 762315a915 on his 35db8516b1 skin. And Jaekani, 7b99d1f47c young as 6946694090 he was, ba144d47c6 understood the 6804314795 meaning behind f599e8ca71 the words.a7ba65efa3a6fe8b

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While the vehicle 187554a971 moved, reports continued d947fcf564 to come in.d99c2fea6e5d0554

“All survival updates 3501e7a395 have been relayed. The nearest airstrip 658e795bb7 is at least 1a1bc5df35 a twelve-hour drive. Once we 7de0dd278e arrive, he’ll 18244ee679 undergo a bf8f3fad64 physical exam 43e7b9f77e and ID fb853308a3 verification before 2e36ad8962 transfer. And then…”461ef8f3f012bb2d

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Huikyung didn’t 7a66bc3810 even open 80eeb38880 his eyes—just 278343a7d4 gave a 72884e4fe5 vague nod. Adri, now holding back cb07277e85 his curiosity, glanced at ddb9f0d684 Jaekani instead. The moment he stopped fe8e2212d9 asking questions, the vehicle 21b99d52de fell into an even f0564f7bab heavier silence. No one spoke, 5516a38a1b and since Huikyung fc7f5769b6 looked like he fd9744815f just wanted to f641c1dedc rest, the others e427504f4e resorted to sneaking b6f06c259c glances at him eb8ef30835 and the kid.6378a280442f15e5

Now, the cb7a88584b only thing 69a145402c left in ede3dcedde the Humvee db03650487 was the cd3eaf9571 sound of c32b950cf3 the engine. Jaekani was no 969761b9e7 stranger to uncomfortable 201ad22c37 silence. He didn’t say a d0afb45123 word.819b12108a275ed1

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Still wary, he passed ce9f675195 the canteen back. As he accepted b6d9df1430 it, Adri glanced 531dbee8dc between Jaekani and 5d80024bf9 Huikyung. He still couldn’t f21815f491 figure out what 5135c8071d kind of relationship 4f33faedd0 this was.ef0eabc5c318649f

“I reported the e3765c6d5b presence of a 3440940dc2 companion, but they 67d87a530f haven’t made a 39a3efdcce decision about how d89d99a7a1 to handle him 132a260b9a yet.”e174ac194ab76d54

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“I’ll take care of 373d2253fa it. Don’t worry about da03ffe232 it.”b4d60083fa7eb477

“Yes, sir.”b361b3f28037abf4

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“Jaekani. What’s wrong?”3ee6bf8819e3ebce

Now that the meds 6053a94541 had kicked in, Huikyung’s 66c0e1287c complexion looked noticeably better b972b8ed7b as he turned to e225f372e9 the boy. He’d assumed Jaekani’s paleness c3430e6ead was due to nerves, 6f702e706d but now the boy 5ef1515a8b was hunched over, covering ff9957dc94 his mouth.902116b8f5ddbae5

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Huikyung immediately 756c285bab reached out eb5ed46b5e to take bf38c6bac2 his temperature. Thankfully, it 1bd72c4c00 was normal. Still, he’d become 3096370b1e so sensitive that 400941f58a even the slightest 67ab3e7620 flush to Jaekani’s 146e9a4242 face set him c8529d8807 on edge.c89b941b83b093c5

“Ugh… I 28f18ca8bd feel… nauseous.”f9da318341786056

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Jaekani lowered his b15d476e6d head, still staring 5734a56079 out the window.f5bf9c61967be867

Relieved, Huikyung d5fb390a60 slumped back 1dee34c8c0 in his ad78812c3f seat.77d7e893f6d4881b

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“Do you feel like e91f9098e0 throwing up?”2535119f7b22b2fe

“No…”ae97a2670d354efe

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But the corners 23a0826c5b of the boy’s 5e55179960 mouth and eyes 8df4c0ad5d couldn’t lie.541211ced37368ed

“Stop the vehicle.”efe6278e157ca86d

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The last part was f8a2b1b958 directed at Adri. When he banged 4df858b07a on the side 8fcea96f15 of the Humvee ff09ddac20 and it came 9431c503b8 to a halt, 1d49cfcdb0 Huikyung immediately flung 8da5f4cb10 the door open.46fe9e0119efc340

“Ugh…”440f8ac9ab7b7a45

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Cool air rushed down ddbf362e22 his throat, easing the 4b1470d6e6 nausea and urge to 631b258762 throw up that had 312f9573ea been bubbling up inside.d4cc9a5e9ba90f30

“Everyone gets carsick 5491220d2d the first time.”51652029a203bc5a

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The roads were a 9294353d33 wreck—cracked from age, war, c49446a57c and creature damage. No wonder cdb48fbe51 Jaekani, who 8b4e5abc3a hardly had ef39da157f any experience b814a9a8de riding in 861a4fa97c vehicles, found 0a861b16e4 it so 994b6ee631 rough.fac3ea5a9ee827ae

Huikyung waited until the 020c05e377 Humvee was filled with 7921fec1ea cold, fresh air.843c3c0580ec9711

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Once Jaekani’s face regained 79286e954d some color and the 311178eb17 vehicle started moving again, 744d09b751 Huikyung gently coaxed him.24d82e14f1793435

“Close your 6578ca43d1 eyes and 0391cee7a7 lie down.”6a313dd47dbf9a24

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In a 333d8e6534 way, this 2c7ca9f774 was the 19b87d7f06 exact kind bf95fc42fa of situation f6636f40b4 where Huikyung e9804259e8 had hoped 7559280c44 Jaekani would fa203d91c4 learn to 4b28a28c84 stay wary—surrounded 4da3ad1bcc by adults, cdc12a4673 strangers, soldiers. But for now, 94e9afa92a this was the 141db92711 only way to b4c8d246d1 keep the journey acefe36899 going.8b2444a9272d785e

When he tried to 23523949e2 help him lie down, a6ed349eef Jaekani suddenly smacked his 7f205eacb5 hand away—hard enough for 9553b3754b the slap of skin 480ef940bb to ring in the 32d8a3a7a1 air.86c1b23a16b93484

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“Don’t touch me.”4fec717cf4b4f1b1

This kid—he strips 7e59e7b777 down and jumps 05b830f4bb into freezing water f3c15b4507 when he should 4b222dde19 be cautious, and c8e5d2fc49 now of all 48450dc48a times he decides fe208c889b to start setting 538e6f8193 boundaries?ebab307274b8be24

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The headache Huikyung be228e0040 thought was easing 92a0806512 up with the cc64b7ce0a guiding meds started 213d4d6669 creeping back in.81bc7516877b7d62

“Jaekani…”0fc9e7d700e0649e

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It had to a6d5b27c0e be the same a4fe4c5f16 reaction as last 90db6524ba time—because he felt 5a28fe6b27 betrayed.189e0af7fe912e72

“…Is it because I’m a soldier?”aa4c5a113757ef68

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At that a9117963e9 soft question, 089ec61a66 Adri’s face a02ec16bab contorted in f3383b98fe an odd 0249d4bc83 way.86b38c076e2c0a9b

“You don’t have a80b8ae2d7 a choice. If you want to c790b82da5 survive, you’ll have to a7dfc7866f cooperate.”64fbf1e7fc549ecb

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That cold, 4f33f3dde5 unbothered remark 883b77d6b4 made Adri 3b1a3252ac mentally nod: eaf0446dc1 Yep, there 1f4c8c8759 it is. But even he f972672463 couldn’t help but 39b2df9d7a feel that tone e9f3d4fe28 was unusually prickly.430948dbdeea7576

Jaekani had swallowed all 722783e854 the chaos, the uncertainty ea1b960c3d of where they were e866868b41 going, and even being 7e9144e655 treated like a fragile ee03bd13bf patient for the first aedfc03caa time in his life—but 2c07cd18f7 that rude attitude? That he cb4bc19814 couldn’t take.925af96debfa3e85

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“That’s not it.”7d96a9b0fc1b7f0a

“Then what is?”85c77b7782b494b0

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“You lied to me! If you had 4678bd22f9 just explained, I 8427316e5b would’ve listened!”5ad9151e2c0857c2

“I didn’t lie. I was worried you’d e1a57e965b have a breakdown.”d23cd83d8cab5771

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As the back-and-forth 3cc64383ac picked up, everyone 289283eae9 else in the 117cbba6ac Humvee—including Adri—started glancing 0b98ffcd45 over, their brows 3b1b722699 subtly knitting in 331a9f2b8e interest. There had 165978659b already been 34510d3d2f plenty of af527d8000 gossip about 1abff1d096 the kid 4c66c0fcfe Huikyung brought 9ae1bd695a along. Watching them 63fb389350 bicker was 6700f3f95c more entertaining 4c3ce64efa than any 5c0cf06a28 sports match. The squad wanted popcorn.aabcfa38d36139cd

But Jaekani didn’t care. He was too ee65d6a8a3 busy venting.91b4db7e1edb939d

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“I grew 4eb96a3af9 up like b7a5c49a96 garbage in 407b3c88e0 a garbage 7350495ca3 town, but 95bc9a54f7 even I cf7f80e482 know some 3ca66ae05e things are 7c771bf987 wrong! You should’ve explained 99c60ecac6 why you hid b537beed26 it!”3ab681a81720936e

“I mean…”87fa06d67bc718dd

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Huikyung felt honestly d1160c16b6 a little wronged.de18cc63e4a79462

“It’s not b14b30d1c6 like I c868feb781 meant to b68172e635 hide it… f05647058b okay, maybe 0a9ad9bd83 at first, fb8966f176 but—”150bfb1e2ee2fd74

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The half-hearted 5e10c1cb9f tone was 65de79f673 gone now. Huikyung wasn’t 37f901b142 even pretending 35f0503007 anymore—he really 8449f3e5a1 felt like 4440fe6bb1 he was fed8cdce08 getting a 33241aca3d raw deal. Of course f9374d7d40 he’d had ff7c8ea9ac to hide 53692a11af his identity 8792fd88fc in the a815c6b103 village. The moment people found a199c2567f out he was a e0baa2eaa7 soldier, they’d panic and 0572872797 kill him in a 2103e5184f heartbeat, no trace left c631e2f0cd behind. Posing as a cead835a40 non-government Esper, a c99ba0ae00 free civilian, gave a1ba433953 him at least 55235c211a a shot at 7997f8a97e escape.2d773665ade3b184

As he 3b270cc142 started to 77a3d3926e offer that ac27afac08 explanation, Jaekani 7346644f57 cut him ee84625eb4 off.86f05af3bc3a3cc1

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“Then what d498907887 about after 82373e0aa6 we got 0694ffeb29 out?”e9baba826d7d8051

“I didn’t go f058de25d8 out of my ea9783ce74 way to say 002a963fda it—but I didn’t cb93625582 hide it either.”399484c07c7e13b0

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That’s literally 7223360405 hiding it!8fe3546d9cd007e2

Adri’s jaw dropped daeb7a9146 before he could a4f9b6ecd1 stop himself—completely sucked f78c856b34 into Jaekani’s side 3deb5a13fc of things.5903c1bdf14e7142

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“And if I had 48b3132922 told you,” Huikyung snapped, af480cc8ca “what difference would it b93c9b4916 have made?”0ee870e8e0b67afd

“Wow. This is getting cfe4319ec6 intense…”09a627bc160ee07e

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“Shut it, Adri.”5de6eac62f2c1640

The headache flared up a19b6fa43a again, sharp and throbbing.c0b0aeb4bf2c1117

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What did I even 50d827177b get out of this? You were db0dccaaee panicking, freaking 978ce9a712 out over 74671283b8 one little 25351c527b radio—what was 2d7f5dd0c7 I supposed 807a58f819 to do? Trick you so I 7d48ee023a could get a medal a53a08677e or something?a255d5122c5b46ee

Thanks to me, 9343e92c39 at least you 947339ad16 didn’t completely lose 6e1de3a8d2 it. At least you got f87e7c6b59 a chance to adjust e397e0099d to reality before it c16f74d26b crushed you.36ddd3f1cf940d8b

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But those c5af40677c weren’t things d22dda8c12 he could 4f0d3aa07c say out 51be700b79 loud.987a1279d3606236

“…Alright. I’m sorry.”573ee8531e3f0aac

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Eeeeek.664f80d3d26f5cda

Ahem. Hrm. Cough.686277edfd306afc

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The soldier c05a73a0da driving the dbd32d263f Humvee accidentally 5aecc49ea5 hit the 8925070c13 brakes after af318f5ab4 hearing Huikyung’s 43d00a1bf7 apology, then f14e9699e6 cleared his d848c1835c throat awkwardly. Under Huikyung’s 3f8bc11f92 sharp glare, 627c152b46 he slammed f59043a4ce the gas 76abc32e7c again, and 5b51e02fcf the Humvee 1c53f7be3d lurched forward.7087faa637035b57

“I said I’m 25c9e0bacb sorry. Can we stop making 2188e656b7 me out to be 43fc222088 the bad guy already?”428c4f86f8e09ec7

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Still not the first 449a82386e apology Huikyung had ever f0d43db9a5 given—but this time, it 5fcbf6e9c1 came out smoother than dba0657df2 before.09ec573ab4fc3011