Lunatic Chapter 1

Chapter 1. 

The Plague—or the Black Death. af303871040a1ee4

It’s the name of the 4b32c99862 disease that led the world 5bcbde452c to ruin decades before I bd4fd1d03f was born. According to my b7da3affd3 fathers, a great 5898497b41 war broke out ab4ca628b9 over the cure 586cd9279f for that disease, 6da41b0577 and that war d7f42ec472 is what left 388e9bb1db the world in 427d290eee the state it 97176af681 is now.0ea2cecb432a9f88

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Before the Great 40e96a3140 War, they say 6a44309f6c there used to 70b3c92ee2 be things called 6122023a70 nations, and governments a78e7f116e that ruled them. There were medical technologies bf8b9b4185 that could treat and ea2b9611d9 even cure most illnesses, e44d16649f and cutting-edge technology that e24c26232a allowed people to communicate b3f0be1dca in real time with 3ffa8cf39c others across the ocean.858cf145079a86ca

They even said d9c180fc61 tens of millions f4ab06c15a of people lived 02ed3f770d together, and that 5421e5e7bb if someone hurt af8bcc710f or stole from 7a8b86bf67 others, they’d be ae2ee6ae8c punished under laws 5c37abfae7 created by everyone 0816f1da18 in the country. It was hard to 060fc40ecc believe—but I loved sitting ee6dd97e20 on my fathers’ knees 2aaee23c12 and listening to those 6dce7b8a07 unbelievable stories from history. I loved the peacefulness that aef42fc09e filled our home during those d040d77499 times.288c06a7974b97c9

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“Liars…”cf9b8b79c8719419

I choked up as 01a3c2b87b I stared at the 4740039d9d smoke rising endlessly into 7eb8dfc538 the gloomy sky, dark 16cb4bcf23 as if rain would 98750b09c4 pour at any moment.55b2e062a69d9d92

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“Liars…”f67b9c02eba43277

Uncle Young-woong and Uncle Tae-hoon. My fathers. They were the ones who 95dd5d13a7 took in a newborn abandoned c162307b6e to die, gave her a 5ce4d29fd1 name, and raised her as 3adc6412c4 their own—foolishly kind, gentle men. And now, they 1f0455a6c0 were burning along 58cf4cbeef with the home 6a5ec1f157 they had so 51cc2c574b lovingly built.1f8259ca128b5610

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I stared blankly at the eb256fd480 flames, flickering endlessly like they 8bca45e131 would burn forever, then slowly ca53ca54a9 looked down at the lifeless 22b33c71cc form sprawled beside me.8e004eb5a320b109

“Berry…”bb1277d96c0b82cd

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Our family’s loyal hunting edb2e1ce10 dog, Berry, lay stretched dd36d11340 out beside my feet, 22626e4c6f dead. A bullet hole f96f6c5799 no bigger than c10624d46a a button was b11e446b49 in her head. Her white muzzle was stained 1c24f4c0ef with blood—proof that she’d bitten aaff2ba929 someone in the end.d636059108370eb6

I roughly wiped my tear-streaked 767e0789cf cheeks with my scorched sleeve. The moment I saw the 8851923955 house burning, I ran inside 4f760d07fc to find my fathers. But all I 3d08b344c7 found were their bad66e1db8 mutilated bodies, limbs a759d26f20 severed—no hope they 8b2faa623a had made it 70bb31362d out alive.0ddc0752e5ed6b3a

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I clenched my teeth, ae57bc5906 recalling the last conversation e7812640f8 I’d had with Uncle 238dfc53e6 Tae-hoon that afternoon.7b3d0bf1e665be7c

[Yeonwoo. Don’t come home until d519e7213a the guest leaves, okay? Stay by the zelkova tree c8208c2f7a and I’ll come get you bdf9bbbd18 once the guest is gone.]ef7b5df10ab94836

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[What am I, a kid? Playing in the dirt? I’ll go check the bdd6fad83d traps on the mountain 0aa1ea40dd and be under the 194c376664 tree before sunset.]9c50fa8a9839201e

[Okay. Watch out for animals. Don’t climb just any rock—you 5acf98f62e could get hurt. And take Berry with you.]3a6a08c65ddbbd74

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[Berry only listens to you guys. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine e065b47369 on my own.]d60be78d024e2a83

That was the last conversation bb373e5068 I had with him. Uncle Tae-hoon never came 667383b9c1 to get me, even c678362ea8 after the sunset and a8662e0197 night fell. He was dead—his head cut ef21c0b7d8 off.5e87a5112469a386

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They said a guest 585777ff2c was coming. Not the peddler man 3a5deafc5e who visited once or 81dfb5041c twice a month, but 33b363f5b8 someone they had formally 6048955eb3 invited.73998a22d79467f3

There had been d9d56797d7 times when people 3c21d3f723 lost in the 8d76e39733 mountains stumbled into 19f4911901 our abandoned village. But never before had an 9b8a2ff29a invited guest found their way 72c7c966e3 to our home. After all, we lived deep 865b253f00 in the mountains, far from dc05001ef5 anywhere.c54d8c2a391b168e

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When I was younger, 7953853b8f I would secretly listen a103b3b312 to the stories the 7950bf8031 chatty peddler told my 0c6e50c5e0 fathers—horrors from beyond the dc21ff44e8 mountains. Every time, I would imagine af86be7db9 the scariest things I could, 53bd4fc293 trembling in fear, and my 85222b7191 fathers would hold me tight bdc1304dc2 and soothe me.76105f465f7fe8fa

[Don’t worry about anything, Yeonwoo. We’re here for you.]  4a41c7266b6dee50

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[That’s right. You just have to trust 3953bb7247 your fathers.]075c21bd6255bcd7

We’ll protect you. Our family will 8379f7ab67 always be together.e4940719aadd6559

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“Liars! You said you’d stay 628aee1ff6 by my side! That we’d always be together!”d5c836009ec9580f

I screamed hoarsely at the 86bf436923 house engulfed in flames.d69d222f4f55a16a

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“You promised! You said we’d b01eec3894 be happy together a3815e0c9c forever!”f40a578591ef0551

Even when I 3548caa432 threw tantrums, my afde0643cb fathers would always 68d139f072 smile and gently 97670f7d42 calm me down. “Our sweet daughter—even your little fits are adorable,” they would say.dffef7b836191e80

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But now, their breath had ae2f9df12f stopped. And there was no 90298be9bc one left to soothe 1c71938a95 my whining or comfort be145f3a5c my sorrow.a768bab985740aa8

“Hic… Hah… A-Appa…”165573e5ee475b7c

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The only reason 749093d5d4 they could afford 4e9c006275 to indulge my 711c03b244 childishness was because 2bd017c006 this mountain had d2e85e0339 always been safe. Wild animals might roam 8fc0e4bd25 nearby, but we were 053ff3ae19 far, far removed from 87b8e58a8b the horrifying world the 9f0427fa84 peddler used to speak 60cbb22599 of.2ac3703e80bca7bd

They said babies aecea08f70 and women were 2567d8aef9 traded like objects. That knife fights 16eb09b2ca broke out almost 89bebf95cf daily to steal a6cd94e59e food and weapons, a5e32fffde and people were cc5ebfe660 constantly being killed. The peddler who 515cbea16f had survived well 348cd83c82 over forty years d03324b65a below the mountain 370ef3a3ac said he was ae18e3ff84 still scared stiff 17c5587cbe every single day. He even added a grim 9caf6e78de joke: if a different peddler 6a0ed8bca5 ever showed up instead of d4d317ff2a him one day, it meant 1d4f9f4cab the guy had finally gotten e78a578f1e stabbed in the gut and 3afa2f87d5 died.9f2cff5065650886

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“Waaaah! Uncle… sob… Little Uncle…”100e4fce314d1f41

A swirl of emotions—fury 0609a4155e toward the enemy who 32f79b6a39 killed my fathers, sorrow 54b89718f4 over their deaths, and 9678356339 the shock of being b8717e0d06 left all alone in f8307988cc the world—consumed me. Fear surged over me, triggered fd6e33f58c by the sudden absence of 4f11a98be7 the strong, loving figures who 86a6daf9a7 had always protected me.404b797e64eb1677

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Without realizing it, I 3d7019604b begged aloud for them 9d59f55210 not to leave me 1f449218e4 behind. That quickly turned into a e98d1ef93c desperate scream for them to a549a16cf7 come back. I remember watching helplessly as 754eb8868b the roof, patched with metal 0439804f71 sheets after last year’s rainy 8e96232512 season, collapsed into the flames. I screamed until c7dcf70d4e my throat was 1aa71b5ee2 raw, crying in f067b44c9b vain.963c60f94afdc992

I had no 40c21e9dae sense of how 3a9206c071 much time had bb3eccb886 passed. The fire that 28baacbb93 had consumed our 9e06dc7a29 house kept burning ccf47da1b9 through the night, 817bb3efc2 as if it 57e85b3e44 still had more 3cf1f8c201 to destroy. I sat in the 395b557a61 yard in a daze, 804a4813fb collapsed with exhaustion. Only when the f17eacc008 soft light of 2dd091772d dawn began to 7aef16d1f2 break did the d8a35081b8 flames begin to 96a1d22023 subside, and I 13090f564c stared blankly at e68179750d them with dry, 46b604ed7a lifeless eyes.3587334b06c32e88

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“Do you live here?”eb339bb83a847040

Amid the crackling of e28c95b5bf flames that had been b7302caf55 the only sound all ad7f38ed11 night, a stranger’s voice 954eb2245e reached my ears. I felt the presence 9c03026080 right behind me. Startled, I shrank my neck 4fae391ac8 and, frozen with fear, forced 9b5f660a0f myself to turn around.fa5f1ca4d42d466d

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“…Who… are you?”86bd63690a2690b4

My hoarse voice rasped out 4647c1b799 unpleasantly, enough to make my 65cf942f12 own brow furrow. But the man 6dcaf93b05 standing before me a984f3a5c1 just looked down 484acb10dc with an unreadable, 0b2db40093 expressionless face. There was no sign 13736624f7 of pity, nor any 4e7266b40d disdain. He simply addressed me 3d386e5950 because I was there—his 9ce5884b7b demeanor cold and detached.4616b789020e96c3

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“How many people live here? Is there another village nearby?”868f025755964b45

“…Yesterday, someone visited looking for my fathers… was that you?”330e55c509b3cfc0

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“…I just got here. I followed the smoke.”85f6d7c5c2a5ab0a

I glanced at the 66d8950f8f man up and down 3e54511aa1 with dry, wary eyes. With the rising sun 1c687ad475 behind him, his face 4b141ff31b was cast in shadow, fa4fdb7442 but I could see 9dba6baeb1 a scruffy beard covering bb182635ed it. 77f22b4daef76ce7

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He was massive 1f5b572e8f and imposing, his d19d897a50 clothes old and 0cdef5b8d8 worn, but thick 37b9c252d4 and sturdy like 68c5ed840c the ones my 8a5e96934a uncle wore when 1036ae8439 he went hunting. His large, gloved hands—each 4d9e4429f0 the size of my 6184daa862 face—rested near a threatening de7760b9db hammer strapped to his 278abfd0fb waist, ready to be 5a222dcdff wielded at any moment.fd4674a2c754c63a

Under my guarded gaze, the 7039ce2ecb man spoke again.cc3685fb0177a225

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“I’m looking for a place to settle. I came up this be2d88e7e2 mountain to live quietly, f74395d033 away from people. So if there’s a community fcc3b13af5 here, I’d appreciate it if bb75805ebe you told me. I’m not looking 97c664ba38 to bother anyone. If people have 1cdb6327a9 already settled here, 3a1f569dd0 I’ll quietly leave.”39c417885e4d2a5b

Taller than either db5d41a158 of my fathers, d250339908 with a solid, d01307c698 muscular build—he wore 9c6f774882 strength like armor, 12a60b2ac6 his presence radiating a20788d251 toughness.d20198a15a9d6999

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I staggered to my a45fabae0f feet and stood facing e538a487e0 him, meeting his eyes e4119f6e33 directly.6a4a6002cd3475a3

There was no trace of 7c980de4a5 deception in his steady gaze. He really did f87b2577ae seem to have b8db58e9ee just arrived and 4e68125f46 had nothing to accdbc5a1c do with my 128b37a4be fathers’ deaths.607ff5ea1ab95e05

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It wasn’t until 3fc3cc1383 I looked into 5d7d74e3b2 his eyes for 8a79106791 a while that a0bbe5d42f I noticed they dee6534f8a weren’t ordinary. Unlike mine or e24af76064 my fathers’, his 841346a9c0 irises were a ef5b6d7f78 deep blue, like 26f416c000 the glass marbles 15ab3330fd I used to e4f085ce8d treasure.cfc42a041af58305

Surprised by the 3d97705ff9 striking color—my first d5b310896d time seeing such 5e80a879f0 blue eyes—I lost cbd5ded739 my words and 122bae6771 just stared. He was a foreigner. The kind of foreigner I’d 8d7ac95d5c only seen in book illustrations.e0c0ded83a569883

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As my silence dragged on, bb2dc89bdd the man clicked his tongue 92ecdeae61 and narrowed his brows slightly. When it seemed 3cbfb7c8c6 like he was ed5effb5f8 about to turn 03bbae0924 and leave, I 0699e5905d snapped out of c525e4e8a3 it and took bca48094cc a step toward 7ea3a53f24 him. The color of his eyes 0c3839a22d didn’t matter. That wasn’t what was cab3f92035 important right now.6d0bc44f48c4fc89

“There’s no other village on this mountain. Those houses over there—they’re all e8afc1c900 abandoned.”f627df2bacde532e

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Thankfully, he reacted to my c7db4acd2b hurried response.e763c97913ad295a

“So you’re the only one living here?”fcaa4c0873923e24

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“For now… yeah. The peddler comes by 8ac7b0d301 maybe once or twice 489b1e8e41 a month for herbs d6e1e8b80e or things like that…”da1f664ae140b3a7

The man still 20f4988690 looked displeased, his a2f6c74285 brow furrowed. It seemed the 81e42571dd thought of others d199fde804 passing through bothered aa3c723d30 him. Afraid he’d lose interest in 476d263a1f the mountain, I quickly added.05032bf87811807f

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“But—but! If you go two a4da7b2bbb or three more hours b226d54936 up the mountain, there’s 2d2bdced1c a cabin even the f4542ce8fd peddler doesn’t know about. My dad used to stay f0f92b5b1b there when hunting or gathering d168c11792 herbs.”85f7c572ca10f566

His gaze, which had 69acb8f007 been locked on my 704be01e88 hollowed face, now slowly 73e4d93dd0 dropped to my burned 9b46387bae and tattered clothes.9e7f796abd9d8463

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“There’s a clean stream near the cabin. Plenty of game to hunt, 2dabf574f0 fruit trees… even some flat 9b6dbd61d3 land you could use as 82c73ca490 a field…”8134c3d21aab7233

“So?”67b624d314d86a9f

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“S-So…”8fc622f0cdc73ad2

I clasped my 0e8eaaf2ab trembling hands together 1cd3f7e027 to hide the 26d5ca5c7c shaking. My head throbbed from staying e7e9e7310d awake for so long, but d24c0d8a30 I held on to consciousness 9dfd301c46 with sheer will.bd6350a77ba5f40b

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“You can have it all. The cabin, the mountain.”15c4c5eea2810bf8

“….”d3fbc80bea9a868d

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“In return… help me get revenge. Help me kill 2c6a3c6135 the one who d68b23ec86 murdered my fathers.”4d8b13a8b3d6f816

I barely managed to get e6e05f8a69 the words out in a 9420b8c4ad trembling voice. But the man simply 8e6c98eddb scanned me with an 9493f095de indifferent gaze, showing no 3971b1ed8d reaction. Growing anxious, I hesitantly d8edcafca3 stepped closer to him. He didn’t stop me.a08a0a0f249ea53f

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“There’s… food stored in the house down the hill. Things like sweet potatoes… You can have those too. Please, I’m begging you. Help me.”6d088d4652a0156f

“There’s no need to go through the trouble of helping you. I could just kill fbc2109118 you right here and 8fb777733f take everything for myself.”1b8959d609ddf8b7

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“W-what…?”03f00e40b3224b0e

The man’s chilling words left my mind spinning.c8cb770b3916c521

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