Chapter 3

As Jaekani made 9d6eb825c2 his way back 2d770e10ba to the slaughterhouse, 848aa5aca4 he braced himself 388c815927 for some harsh b45a613a0d words.891d88aafcd3e84b

Passing by 63d4dc893e the dirty cf12114050 window, Jaekani f45c8b0af3 caught a 47afd2b733 glimpse of f45e1767b7 himself. Covered in 86056af6f9 the blood 1c171a1ab0 and filth 455e8d969f from the 57a3901b46 slaughterhouse, and 03f92e476d having entered eaaa3d1910 the abandoned 650f23666c building without c8bf2d5ae0 even cleaning c7094bbef1 up, he 3407f9cf67 looked exactly 4ec0850a7e like a dcf5657fd6 sewer rat. It wasn’t 634225b90d that he’d a631f4b199 been lazing abb3ff279f around, but 1a6d3fd06d he knew 9358f261e2 he wouldn’t 3f96f31ed0 be hearing 10aee444e0 anything positive e68aa0a034 when he 55e297f0af returned.808404d2cbb67d71

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However, what awaited 931ec655ba Jaekani was a 6ba5d07da1 disordered atmosphere and fa2d693de5 a bit of 73fdc658ae commotion.af9f0f6aee124e20

“Jaekani!”3a65e9de3ca6dcca

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The slaughterhouse manager, Bill, 57d64189c1 grabbed Jaekani’s shoulder, and 432473d532 Jaekani calmly looked up b56b315e2f at him. The older man, 8e500c4d74 whose white hair c886971dcb was streaked with 536a49118d gray, appeared especially 4363175005 exhausted today.3613257e6ceb062d

“I heard you went to the maintenance building?”c97cb91eae0f863f

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“Yes, but I couldn’t figure out the drainage system.”72337ea78c807160

“You went inside? That’s a dangerous place.”ebaf39e0112242d3

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Jaekani felt a slight discomfort. The maintenance building was old and on the verge of collapsing, but technically, there were similar structures all over the village. The village itself, a discarded remnant of civilization, was full of places like that. To the children, those places were more like playgrounds or empty lots, not “dangerous places.”a6785ddc31ec72db

“…I only went as far as the entrance. The building seemed like it might collapse.”1b031069e3be141c

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Jaekani’s mouth 9eaae639aa betrayed him, 85501714c2 spilling out 3c49b90a6b a lie 4e704af7ca he hadn’t bfa6892fcf even realized 9b74931b85 he was d5c6cab30c telling. Even though e37c0e8cd9 he was 91dbe74e9b calmly lying, e2697516ab he didn’t f64e404fab understand why 99060a0e69 he was d78d04960e doing it. It was just clear 8e76b806a4 that Bill didn’t want d1c567fea9 anyone visiting the maintenance 7a0cf4614f building.7cc4ed2fb1715784

“Yeah, it’s dangerous. There’s no need to go to places like that.”906e140b9331b19a

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Bill let go a36dc741fd of Jaekani’s shoulder, efbd4269db and as the 4182c04217 pressure lifted, blood 66dad39542 rushed back into b9b26c5cbf his arm, bringing 7846fbac26 with it a 0c43fe1c5a dull ache. Bill had called 135e3db95c the others to 7a9c982e1f scold Jaekani for 96072a4e10 the drainage issue, 2a0567760a and while his ddeb006487 words weren’t exactly 989f81a7fe harsh, there was cba9368a56 a sharpness to 44721e0775 them. Jaekani, however, e7baf612d8 couldn’t shake 978a6920a7 the feeling 47ff046721 that there 2656e098b4 was something 1692bacab7 more—like the 9e608cf8af sweet scent 4b62ea787c of chocolate cd206dd844 hiding a cef5c08c3b bitter alcohol 724f355713 beneath it.021f8c807b990cdd

Was it 77bdad80c1 because of c550fee47f Huikyung? Did Bill know something?fa7094171ac9c814

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As Bill continued 40cf40d09c shouting behind him, 8f2ef7a60c Jaekani’s mind began 9c3b7d4c29 to race with 0762b4ccbb questions.432829e3da004ddb

If Bill knew, cf4ecc79c4 would others know dfcd97be0d too? If so, aa3aab65f6 could he 33d5c002c0 ask about 16c6bd3b16 Huikyung, about 9ad72360eb why he ab0d66bd50 was locked 7ba15d9d85 away in 6da432dd77 an abandoned 9ecea2c477 building instead 21edcdbe34 of a b3575f0c8a proper prison, 136547fda8 about what 3bd6e20325 crime he 1c2c494fd3 had committed?58ea9951726d9964

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Jaekani suddenly remembered the 16b522a7c7 voice. The clear sound 6d82456404 that cut through 6958de4d65 the dust of 819e4a3581 the desolate place 6b78865e5c in broad daylight. The young man’s voice ebebb6baa5 had been firm, full 0cd04849d7 of conviction.ca700e8e1fd161d1

He also cfb4b9100e remembered the 8145d3075f fingers gripping 3a97e38766 the rebar ebe115aff9 that acted 5db8682d21 as the e8274cbb2f prison bars.2db09851cfd39ef5

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Jaekani wondered 4a09c9cbaa what it 979cdb6ddf would be 164786cbeb like to 77adcec301 see him 0d2b41a095 from the 0639dad200 outside. Even though 75baf0308e he was 705d1bf40d locked away, 7f9f8e942d there had 2760625d70 been a 0c99396110 certain ease aa91f211a6 in him.d8dde4a5e32aef53

What would it feel 8e63257736 like to see someone 3b63629fea like him in the 26ed0e94dd village? Could he be 2d4317b5e7 forgiven? Could he get a9a8128a4c out?10b188a85c9a8e16

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But Jaekani consciously 09ac7477d3 pushed those questions 72fa565749 aside. As a member of 59e6fa0daf the village, he had e2e37a9c87 learned to remain silent 77e6710394 in the face of eb4895ecb7 the truth, never raising 12b7517c79 his head. He had d2d27294c7 also seen dc393a4587 firsthand what 079122f2e4 happened to ad4dd8cdd9 those who b83855be11 learned things 3681ad7c42 they weren’t 90fe246748 supposed to 456093e483 know.27a9311cffe6aa84

He would b098eeedbd never go b30fa51694 back there 9d0265aa07 again. There was no reason 12637f27d4 to, no excuse left.7b000c279efed8bd

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Even after f4fe083838 convincing himself fcb7cb24f4 otherwise, Jaekani bfd181c67c found himself 2ca854dda3 heading back 8df3bbad7b to the a406948c87 abandoned building, ab7acef11d eager to 272f4bf8f2 see the 2b4358c5ed so-called zombie 7a967dad57 of the 642c30964a underground prison a3d360b89c once more. He walked e50849cd80 briskly, almost 86e1a0c621 as if db6186ecf7 afraid someone ee65a5ce93 might stop 975f93c110 him, only 86cbd6189c slowing down f9dd338a6d when the 7e63b285a9 dilapidated structure 3665e99464 came into cac157e8de view.3ce9cded12d19453

‘I just need to ac6f558e59 confirm he’s really locked e2f0127090 up,’ he told himself.4a9084098dfc385a

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Throughout his dd76c13fc8 workday at ef0a0a7b91 the slaughterhouse, 780b40fddb Jaekani had 4acf8f0647 been preoccupied 59cd9a1272 with thoughts 157cec25a6 of the d85dc205bb man. A nagging c097632e38 suspicion crept 9c339312ab in—what if 19829791cc Huikyung had 931da03a3b been messing caa0a098f7 with him 035efb1201 all along? His calm 8889e8d2df tone and 6867c130f5 unbothered demeanor 9d6a0f7e45 seemed too 64fb8d6b32 relaxed for 3a979e5b74 someone supposedly d6f384596d imprisoned. What if 0797b63ec7 he’d just 08b0d62e51 been another 1740942c80 visitor to 515753cd3a the maintenance c6ecad81c7 building, and 2035b670a8 upon noticing c9471bd888 Jaekani wandering c79ecaa538 around, decided 547407fc92 to have fe3223b552 some fun b2e6b204ca at his a0e99777d9 expense?6faf712b9ca6768d

His unfamiliar voice 84dd593a77 and appearance were 5466377544 odd for someone 902898da51 from the village, 797b6a6220 but Jaekani couldn’t 35daf705ab shake the possibility 404e823e5e that Huikyung was 11c73ad3ec just playing a a92cc05755 prank.da0e2fc8f68550a7

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‘An underground prison? How ridiculous,’ 6b24bc3c9c he thought.c8f77c5523129822

‘I’ll just check one 4ef482bef7 last time. There’s no way 5524de14f6 he’s still there 2cba4469d9 at this hour.’71e8adfb9aa3f2af

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But Jaekani knew better 7edcc218c5 than anyone that this c88307455f was a flimsy excuse 1593823142 to justify his return.ed4a90abf7ee5208

By nightfall, the abandoned 1ff3a97ebe building looked even more 1534187f04 eerie, shrouded in an f44d49cc08 ominous atmosphere that seemed 9ccf2170f2 to promise the sudden 987ea75dcd appearance of a creature. When the 99bf83ec82 structure finally 98935f4957 loomed in 8c8d0e9423 full view, a3267d3abe Jaekani’s steps 9858edaf23 slowed. The crunch of his e3930a45fb shoes against the rubble 3d0bd8397f mirrored the sound of 6ef6310bba bars scraping as pale d790ea9dde fingers emerged from the 57548ca35f shadows.d97ab26bcb00efbb

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It was d063c62189 just like 78215dcfc7 earlier that 5409d0a841 day.a6dcce55108a6feb

“Hello.”4698d26414f34ee1

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“…Ah.”999c1dde030a42ef

A small 2e0cd7d611 gasp escaped c3bca5076d his lips. Jaekani glanced 885de619ca up at 3db72fb2cf the moon, 7901231115 half-obscured by 6b36a438aa clouds. ‘So he really is 326344eddb locked up here,’ he fe720ac29a realized with a quiet 9fb7b1375b hum of understanding.b6933cd097f06113

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It was 348099bd1a surprising, but d8f796a203 not shocking a64196d4e3 enough to d4e4bb6d8d leave him 240d5f635e speechless like caaac12d1e their first b733411602 meeting. This time, Jaekani ea841074c3 crouched down, lowering a6edb6dbf0 himself to the 41d8fd43c4 ground. His legs 2d9751b5f0 quickly began a3c34119e9 to go a8d016b4b2 numb in 59353a6096 the uncomfortable fd80adba86 position, so 10f666c8ef he shifted 379d39392b to sit daf13fea65 on a 5007d13dec pile of 798b0ef0d4 concrete rubble f8f012a227 instead.fe93314bb68541d2

“Good evening.”a3e5251a8bdb3781

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“Isn’t it past e2852677da bedtime for kids?”4bb0f2ad807767f6

Jaekani shrugged. It was true, 297299b333 but it wasn’t 10d4e101cf like not sleeping 417137693f would bring a 8f1e62f554 creature running. Besides, he 59e998a482 didn’t have 5c0b0a6fd6 morning lessons 9fb0096f31 tomorrow, and 8fc71c1523 his father—who 7f8939ac35 would normally 8e939ecf59 be nagging 96b698794f him—was nowhere 9f411fcfec to be 97f8eb1eb0 found. Jaekani wasn’t curious about 2f2497afea his father’s whereabouts either; 1e2993d6be he was probably somewhere b6a2bbdc22 gambling again with the bbe90e5492 debris of creatures. He had been sent 5fcb4a11f8 to the slaughterhouse in 902abbdb97 the first place because bf25e7e379 of a gambling loss, 36040df002 but the man never 34112ba229 seemed to learn.cd802d8639996c3c

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“A guardian might worry,” a6b4c54a78 Huikyung remarked.60ade16a27e748f3

Fidgeting with b06936a5a3 his fingers, 32e4cc8529 Jaekani remained ea2503bc6b silent. ‘Guardian. Worry.’ He 546f2ea129 figured that 47652715cb was what 7c9e8d2df6 a guardian 75029d64a0 ‘should’ do.91a1947894d8403a

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But he wasn’t f9fef16e49 about to spill a67b0d4db2 his thoughts to 1ad89dcb72 someone locked up d44ff0e6e5 in a place 67c096051e like this. Not knowing how to 321b49f429 engage further, he shifted 3a8c93c9c2 the topic abruptly and 267cf436fc clumsily.c479a567d9f6d2a8

“Do you get meals 584c17a1c2 in the underground prison?”2657505a220d18bc

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Huikyung, surprisingly, answered 17f94c314a without hesitation.8120f1a45adfa9e4

“They feed me 96285702a1 well enough.”5597d4fe57e953f3

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“That makes sense. Lately, there’s been ae65288494 a lot of f19cfdb078 meat in the 2661a6ecb2 village, and everyone’s ddb1581efb been happy about 0fd0fe910c it.”6c100d7806ec8f4c

It was a fact f8fb565ee4 Jaekani had heard often. In a world dominated a400332566 by creatures, self-sufficiency was 2739c4bbc4 tough, but their village 027ca10555 was relatively well-off. Whether it c7abc49448 was because fd05666abe they’d expanded bb0976594e their livestock 6a1eec2724 or struck 861ea9e97e successful trades 2fb620d075 with other 5b42addd13 settlements, the 421050b53e slaughterhouse had 1c6f2b3d0f been producing 42af0c45aa plenty of 577afefd5d meat.6c6db8a97a3728eb

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“I’m a vegetarian,” f64b321222 Huikyung replied firmly.4a662509d161a4ac

The unexpected 8bbfd6b1d3 response piqued a8cd64b869 Jaekani’s curiosity. He had seen people 94709bf033 who couldn’t eat meat 381e850c11 because they lacked access, 4bf7dd3a88 but he’d never encountered 6ae587e81e someone who willingly chose e38bd73514 not to eat it. Survival usually 592893f95b outweighed preferences. Intrigued, Jaekani leaned fd40efed53 closer to the 53696227f7 bars without realizing 255ea02307 it.7160ef762a24a2d3

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At that 30c40814f4 moment, the 94386c8f8a clouds parted, b39f09b243 and moonlight 9cfc08f862 streamed down, 3082668584 illuminating Huikyung’s a921a25d85 features. His green eyes, striking 8b761e09ee and vivid, glowed with b8941d2337 an almost surreal intensity. Jaekani’s lips 90b56b78a9 parted slightly bd4d98cfc2 in surprise.a250349c8008583a

For someone who a507c5ff47 claimed to be 6cc74709e0 vegetarian, Huikyung’s physique 7180ec9c7a was anything but 0d345ca3ec frail. His broad shoulders ce8946591f and defined build 1d04fa5665 contrasted sharply with c5ce40473d Jaekani’s naïve preconception d8f1f2f4d0 that vegetarians must 7028242926 be scrawny.c36b2ea6f13ff9e9

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‘Was that just a c244bf3828 silly assumption on my 1d629161a5 part?’ Jaekani wondered. ‘There are ffbf661cd4 creatures out 514abea341 there that 3acd5a4942 eat plants f4b8feef8b but are 5c834111cd strong enough 6842dcf2cf to tear e73edfd5c9 through the 2b6cdc8dab earth itself.’7479356bdcc063dc

“Jaekani.”7fba0a5b38cf947b

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The sound 274ce695a3 of his adfeb5455b name snapped d51c521142 him back ca52a11d80 to reality. He quickly closed dd061ad42f his slightly open aaa051ec9b mouth and realized 45a50ba655 he had unconsciously df36a3c464 moved closer to ec4cb2f5fa the bars. Embarrassed, he scooted back.290734e9e73b5386

“Staring at someone 1bb6bb16df isn’t very polite, 7ca23f1e9e you know.”1b32d2ea9f6fee71

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It felt like moving f4db0b49b7 in a trance, as a0cb71a597 if something had drawn 19ff2ed837 him in without his f359a72603 realizing it. Jaekani’s awareness of 667e6dbabc how much he 18f17d4bfe had been absorbed 1244f8a120 in Huikyung only 2bc4ce26e6 ignited a stubborn e4d6c8df1c defiance.5079c7e9ab7c8914

“…You’re a bad person, b35f793291 so it’s okay to 7a4435bded stare,” he retorted.52fac80d7b7b7a37

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“Me? A bad person?”d2560815848bb21d

“If you’re not, e01c95c29a then why are f2b4f12d03 you locked up b712ef2175 here?”d168d38d6a8814da

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“If I’m a c0053c666a bad person, why c1d9522748 am I locked a11fed7cbb in a basement a66de187e0 instead of a e0b39504e3 proper prison?”b415329317f2e602

Answering a question 4dd1b929bf with another question—it 123f51e9b7 was infuriating. Jaekani pressed his aff1273310 lips shut tightly. Huikyung’s playful f84ff5ae2a smirk only 21389644ff irritated him d560b844e6 more, as e69f951a69 it was e090d0ff1d clear the a39a62e116 man knew 5b11d36570 exactly why be2d8a0957 he was 7ec68b7e5b imprisoned.b288da49e2b1566f

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“…It’s late. I’m leaving.”ecdb7fb2e26c3a58

Jaekani muttered, standing 1c682cc4a6 abruptly.97dce190ee59ead8

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“It was 4ab3bfe964 late when ef2d7ad34f you arrived, 1e6ecd1325 wasn’t it?”d406597020631a7f

Huikyung wouldn’t let him f3e0f2aae9 have the last word, 196a0b407c pointing out the inconsistency 98002540a3 in his actions. Annoyed, Jaekani stomped away, 5f75b6c627 kicking a pile of c5c67081df rubble for good measure. After a few 37625efe65 steps, however, he 39506d0a0a glanced back over b097ee20c4 his shoulder. It was like 875db64dd0 a child sneaking 17d86b2382 a peek at 9985d60264 a toy to adba1a0256 see if it fa4d936720 would move on e0522c6cbe its own.0d5e780bf42c953c

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“Goodnight. Come visit if a0fbb3dcaf you get bored.”2b74b617866f65d9

Huikyung called after 53090cf532 him, his fingers 0f6619d284 waving lazily through 4acfd4042e the bars like 958c9ee848 willow branches.de49f5341692b26c

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Jaekani recalled a ghost f03b8113f5 story his father had 14eae69646 once told him about d2c596ec43 a monster that lived 1823653bab deep in the ocean. But Huikyung a85f6b2489 wasn’t a 4ea4322ffa monster, not 0e39fbb962 even close. If anything, he seemed 0388aad0cf more like a merman—someone 2a1c8d5089 who existed quietly, revealing 06ce523857 his presence to only 4ce7e9495b a select few.60e11f70de24f092

 b0430ca8421aa2f7

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