Prologue

When he opened his eyes, the boy thought it was snowing. Staring blankly, Jaekani watched the scene of heavy snowfall. A cold wind swept through the ashen sky, and faint touches brushed his cheeks and forehead. Only after sitting up did Jaekani realize that what he had mistaken for snowflakes was actually ash. When it touched his fingertips, it didn’t melt but crumbled away.

Slowly, the boy rose to his feet. Dawn was breaking. Unlike the moonlight, sunlight unearthed every grim detail.

“Ah… Father, Father!”

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Before his eyes lay a line of corpses. Some were so charred they were unrecognizable, but Jaekani still recognized the familiar shoes, the thin shoulders, and the withered legs.

“Father… no, wake up.”

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Rushing over, Jaekani wrapped his arms around his father’s body. He was unbearably cold. Hugging his upper body, he began to sob. The bark-like texture of his skin and its icy touch made him instinctively realize he was gone.

“He’s been dead for a long time.”

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At the firm voice, Jaekani gasped. Sitting in a relaxed posture as if he’d always been there, unnoticed, was Huikyung. Knees drawn up, Huikyung sat with no hint of guilt. On the contrary, he looked almost refreshed, wearing a white T-shirt that clung to his torso instead of his crumpled shirt.

It wasn’t just his expression that had improved. Having apparently washed in the river, Huikyung’s hair was sleek, devoid of sweat or grease, and gently fell over his forehead. His jaw and neck, often smudged with sweat and concrete dust, were now white as snow.

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Jaekani’s fury surged at all of it.

His even tone, the cigarette dangling between his pale fingers (where had he even found it?), the smoke that trickled like mist from his lips, and the careless flick of his wrist.

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It was a rage that surpassed anything Jaekani had ever felt, a fury so intense it was hard to face it while sober. He doubted he’d ever feel such anger again in his lifetime.

“Monster, you, you…!”

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Jaekani launched himself at him, his fist barely reaching half the size of Huikyung’s palm. Even though he clearly saw him coming, Huikyung let him hit him. His punch was strong enough to redden Huikyung’s cheek, despite its small size. After landing the blow, Jaekani gripped his neck with both hands.

He killed his father. Huikyung, the man he had personally freed.

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“I trusted you!”

“Stop.”

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“I trusted you!”

“… Stop crying, or you’ll choke.”

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The villagers had locked Huikyung up for a reason, but he’d been foolish enough to fall for his lies and release him. In the end, everyone died because of him—his father included.

Hundreds of villagers reduced to ashes in an instant, and yet Huikyung sat there comfortably, his face betraying a faint bitterness as he looked at Jaekani. He spoke as if he wanted to avoid hurting him further, even adding that he wouldn’t bite if Jaekani let go of his throat. To Jaekani, it was the most meaningless thing he could’ve said.

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“… If I can’t kill you… I’ll just die,” he muttered.

But Huikyung’s gaze sharpened at his hollow declaration.

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“Die? You want to die because of this?”

“… I want to die. I’ll die too. Hic… You should’ve just killed me too.”

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His sobs made it hard to continue speaking. It was all so horrific, so despairing, it didn’t feel real. He was simply sad, simply tormented, and simply wanted to give up on everything, even life.

“You’re saying you want to die just because some bastards are dead?!”

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“… He was my father.”

“Was he even your real father?”

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It wasn’t the villagers or even Huikyung’s knowledge that startled him—it was his cold, accusing tone.

“Every day, he beat you, used you as his emotional punching bag, exploited you for his convenience—and now, seeing him dead, you want to die too? You’ve lost your mind!”

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“Don’t speak about him that way. You’re a murderer…!”

“Break free, Jaekani. Your father abused, exploited, and mistreated you.”

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But the water was already spilled, and the boy had learned the truth. Things couldn’t get worse now.

Now that it had come to this, he might as well learn the full extent of his father’s true nature. If he couldn’t bring himself to hate the murderer, he might survive by hating his father instead.

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“To your father, you were like a candle—burning yourself to illuminate the lives of others.”

**“What do you even know to say something like that?”**

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“Your father said something like this as he sliced my side open.”

But even as Jaekani listened, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that neither his father nor Huikyung lacked even a sliver of conscience, goodness, or feeling. He wanted to believe that his father had loved him in the best way he could, even if that “best” seemed pitiful in others’ eyes.

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“He followed me around like a dog, so I fed him a few times. Turns out, he was good at guarding the house.”

His father often called him a little puppy, sometimes saying he was more like a stray kitten.

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“Fed himself, cleaned the house, did the work for me. Pretty useful, really.”

“That’s not true.”

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Still, Jaekani couldn’t bring himself to hate his father.

Even if his father’s shelter was shabby and unworthy, it was still better than nothing.

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As if reading his mind, Huikyung spoke.

“If the bare minimum standard for a parent is being better than nothing, then you’re giving up way too much.”

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Huikyung gently set Jaekani down.

The wind had settled, and the sun now fully lit up the sky. Jaekani squinted against the sunlight. Huikyung used his rough hands to wipe the ash-streaked cheeks of the boy.

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“You can live well.”

At the murderer’s words of comfort, Jaekani nodded. Not because he genuinely believed he could live well, but because Huikyung’s voice, unwavering and resolute, left no room for doubt or thought.

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“You’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be fine.”

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“Don’t die. Live well, Jaekani.”

… What?

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Jaekani’s quietly nodding head froze. His gaze shot up, startled, as though he’d been struck.

He had expected the reassurance to continue after “You’ll be fine.” But “Don’t die. Live well”? Live well? After burning the village to ashes, killing his father, and leaving him with no one to lean on—live well? Did he really believe that was possible?

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“Stay healthy.”

The light tone and carefree demeanor were unmistakably a farewell. At those words, Jaekani snapped back to reality as if waking from a trance. Despite the whirlwind of devastation and the surreal horror of the situation, Jaekani hadn’t fully crumbled. Huikyung’s attitude and the absurdity of the situation wouldn’t allow it. Desperation sharpened his resolve as he clung to reason.

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“What do you mean by that?” Jaekani’s eyebrows, which had been drooping in defeat, suddenly shot up.

Huikyung hesitated. “You’re a smart kid, so it means you’ll be okay.”

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“You’re not… You’re not really planning to leave me like this, are you? You’re not just going to leave me behind, are you?”

Huikyung faltered, stumbling over his words in an uncharacteristic display of discomfort. “And take you with me? Do you even know who I am or where I’m going?”

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“What does it matter who you are? Either way, you’re a traitor, a murderer, and a piece of trash to me!”

“That’s exactly my point! You’re saying you want to tag along with a traitorous, murderous piece of trash?”

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“I trusted you! You were the first person I ever trusted, and this is how you repay me?”

“Well, lucky for you, if this is your first betrayal, your life’s been pretty cushy so far!”

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“Look at me! Do I look like someone who’s had a cushy life? Is that something you brag about to a kid?!” Jaekani shot back, outraged at Huikyung’s selective use of his age to suit his convenience.

Caught off guard by the sheer audacity of the boy’s words, Huikyung was momentarily speechless.

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“And now, after deceiving a ten-year-old, you’re going to just walk away? What? ‘Don’t die, live well’? Have you no conscience?”

“… Hah.”

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Jaekani wasn’t even ten—he was thirteen—but he stubbornly stuck to his claim. In a situation where proof of his birth year was impossible, the loudest voice won.

“I didn’t ask you to repay me with your life, did I? And yet you have the nerve to spew nonsense. You’re more useless than the ashes you’ve left behind!”

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Jaekani hurled one last insult, but it was futile—he couldn’t stop his eyes from welling up. The tears betrayed him.

Oh, come on. Really?

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Huikyung thought it was unfair. Fighting and then suddenly crying? That was against the rules. And yet, there Jaekani was, sobbing openly while Huikyung stood there, the reluctant, guilt-ridden murderer.

“You’d think I asked you to die for me, or to repent with your life. Did I demand a miracle? Did I?”

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The fire in Jaekani’s tear-filled eyes blazed brighter, spilling his bottled-up rage onto Huikyung. Though he spoke with a bold front, his words were tinged with desperate pleading.

Seeing through him, Huikyung let out a resigned sigh.

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“… Then what do you want me to do?”

But nothing immediately came to mind. Should Huikyung, a mere human, turn back time? Revive the dead? Asking for the impossible was no better than saying nothing at all. If Jaekani was going to wish for something, it had to be difficult but achievable—something that would truly inconvenience him.

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“Take responsibility for me.”

Huikyung’s patience teetered on the edge, but Jaekani didn’t waver, his glare unrelenting.

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“Take responsibility for me until I become an adult.”

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TL/N: Additional info… and no this is not a minor X adult novel Jaekani will be the top and the older guy is the bottom

Background/Setting: Guideverse / Reverse Age Dynamics / Post-Apocalypse 

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Story Keywords: Childish Gong / Younger Gong / Innocent Gong / Unrequited Love Gong / Moody Baby Gong / Sensitive Gong / Kitten Punch Gong / Sharp Gong / Pachycephalosaurus Gong / Handsome Shou / Strong Shou / Skilled Shou / Playful and Caring Shou / Confined Shou / Not-a-Zombie Shou / Misleading Engagement Shou

Gong (공): Jaekani – Though he appears composed and plucky, Jaekani has a soft side, befitting his age. He can’t help but worry about Huikyung, whom he discovered in the underground prison.

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Shou (수): Jung Huikyung – A mysterious, seemingly lighthearted man with an air of maturity. Beneath the surface, he is childlike and mischievous.

When to Read: When you want to see a capable and affectionate Shou who’s soft only for a moody, “Pachycephalosaurus-esque” baby Gong.

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Relatable Quote:
“Fine, I’ll wait exactly 30 years for you, so we can get married.”

 

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