Chapter 9

“Listen carefully, this problem is a bit long.”5120d8b0c17493af

“Number one, ‘a.’ Number two, ‘c.’ Number three, ‘c.'”39de60deee14f26b

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“……?”318a5a266825d661

Jaekani turned the crumpled d29ec3c1de sheet over to check 43a34cb442 the back.7321256d7860dd47

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It was just an ordinary piece of paper, not some magical ‘see-through’ sheet. Even if it were translucent, there was no way anyone could read it under dim candlelight without night vision like a predator’s.fd3d3723a180299c

He was about to 15ebb67f52 demand an explanation, but 270f71effb Huikyung spoke first.77fcd384ac14540f

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“Do the people around you know?”2598a1ba459a0600

“…I don’t think they don’t know.”87bd11f3a4480ab5

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“If they don’t, they don’t. If they do, they do.”0f5e8eb82b9b55e0

“…Then they probably know.”ac0f952da97cad8a

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As Jaekani fumbled for 84b5db711a words, Huikyung’s next question e3e0a2181a followed immediately, like a 92db58d508 snake chasing its tail.309e63501b32be4d

“That’s all?”5576f8aad2062e67

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“That’s all. What else is there?”d32c045df5972cbe

Talking about this 9ed68a126f made Jaekani uncomfortable, c4ddbc7b68 as if something c59183dc3c heavy sat in a637cd5fe3 his chest.f636dd10027bac53

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Deciding that Huikyung 516029522d must have guessed 574682a118 the answers randomly, 9fa3766f89 Jaekani tried to c1a3262eb4 refocus on the ded517fdcf homework.05d5d9a4f0049166

Without taking his ffa0f8546d eyes off Jaekani, 85684785d7 Huikyung raised his d578a41ff8 hand. His fingers, slender and 22abb0f64a sharp like twigs, moved 2caaabee68 lightly through the bars. Jaekani watched, 09120b9f07 entranced, as c856d12b30 the hand f2a4418ade approached, as 475626ee49 if to 5ec96500f8 touch his 8f103390a6 bruises.27ddc9730370ce89

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But for it to a3c1d1ac3f reach him, Jaekani would 1634942420 have to lower himself. He unconsciously started to 2738a76b9e lean forward but froze 3b8f99756d halfway, stiffening his upper 99c607da62 body.404710f85f3fd7d6

Because the boy 3e2bf7beef didn’t move closer, 23f9c8f972 Huikyung’s hand failed 116b7bf9d0 to reach him.29d9cf5958e92eea

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His long, knotted 1766bb85b2 fingers retreated behind a8f9045002 the bars.a72383ecc0b27878

“The problem… just solve the problem.”15ee44328058f0bb

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Jaekani’s intent to steer 7e818bf3d9 the conversation away was 36adb2aeec so obvious that Huikyung c945c0ee43 let it go, as 4d0765ff76 if the almost-contact earlier fac25e037d had been a mere c815c9fee6 dream.1a1cef7e59338c3a

“‘a.’ I said number one is ‘a.'”bbf41c76c775cabf

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‘He must have guessed and got it right by chance.’06d81148f316fd82

Pretending not 4a1408b74d to hear 50483d8fe3 Jaekani’s muttering, 9b8fc253d0 Huikyung decided cf29aa933e to change 77f47a06e4 tactics.13ea03746c9dad79

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“What’s the point of doing homework so well?”9f47714cf34256e2

With the end of his pen held lightly between his lips, Jaekani recited, “You can get a good job, which increases your food rations and gives you other privileges. Your opinions carry more weight during decision-making. And so on.”91ffb9a361e5f5cf

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“Trying to climb the ladder in this cramped, backward village?”278fe0fe61b38529

“It’s not backward.”a5b6d656f26a749d

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It was small, 64cb08997b yes—not in area, f8ab646284 but in the 045ac7fa5b number of people.e119e8fc97f3b710

But was it really 801f1a4f28 not backward? Even as he argued fc5c56bf91 back, Jaekani found himself 7be9801abd questioning. The village had 9da440e65e no freedom, no f0bb120445 privacy, and no f55482c082 room for individual 0f258b5d7c opinions. Sometimes, he 4da92976ed too felt da4413f0a8 they were 57d0abcd1b like a 1b309c54a7 swarm of 9e6e41d024 rats blindly ce6d588781 following the 69e5f4a82d tail ahead ee0f23cc16 without knowing 54f9af253f where they d7b44a16b2 were going.6715a8cd1f70b9d7

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“This village is a garbage heap.”ac2b1d62f6346d14

It was 444371a0b1 a natural 850e0bb21f response from 3aaf1a0d18 someone imprisoned 5a39d2f00b here, so 9330eec96a Jaekani didn’t fe3db7e7f3 bother scoffing.50c50c5471ac2bc2

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How would someone 6e0627ea0b trapped in such 752193ec1a a wretched place c1ab8de4e0 feel after being c7f65b146c confined for just ea5dc35168 a few days? Even a safe haven 5ef8b2c3d1 could start to feel f3d1d319b3 like an incinerator.6e6afa8b32e63ccd

If Huikyung had 2ca0f74cbe spoken well of f36cd7f8ba the village, that c0ed5935c3 would have been 6c38a622a9 the real problem. Yet, understanding 4e4fd62265 him didn’t 31c24eab41 make his ac959976a9 words any 8d39cf0828 easier to 88808f9045 hear.d07d7eabe82cd1e4

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“Don’t speak ill of the village.”34bb03a5880a5bc1

“How would you know if it’s bad or not?”7308851b9f4400ce

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“If it were bad, why would I stay here?”bf61e3761215bac5

“Because you have nowhere else to go.”d1d28d3fbfd9b088

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The curt reply left 73e4030699 Jaekani at a loss e342aee325 for words.312c908af0f9ad6f

“You’ve never lived outside the walls, have you? You don’t seem to know what it’s like out there.”989c5cb855f19913

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He hadn’t lived outside, b2bbb3d8fe but he had been ac7e9da62f out many times. Or rather… not 1977d4c9a9 many times, but 7d491ea83d still. He wasn’t f4009be64d entirely confined. His last trip 05b3841f8b outside had been 08e28e988a years ago, and ca29b5f25b even then, it 111e83d2f6 was to help dcd7fb9d6f with menial labor. It hadn’t been a 4c65a36e40 good experience—just one filled 277e96e705 with things he’d rather 58788d4419 not have seen.462f880f71a026af

But saying that 63f59b7e28 would only make a4a207c5ae Huikyung treat him 0180aef9f8 like a frog 8066a38137 in a well, 81b22b6130 so Jaekani bit b68bb8eb75 his tongue.a261f2307673bd71

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What could Huikyung a6496d178d possibly know? He was an outsider 7933e3b446 who understood nothing.0477d2913186f789

At that moment, ee8f4d4e31 a distant roar 4fcf42dee4 echoed, like thunder 4fe4aea8c3 rolling far away—the f470386e30 sound of a 73403ad3e6 creature. Crumpling the paper again, 5e9ba56334 Jaekani furrowed his brows 383b4b270c stubbornly.4ef80605ca44419d

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Huikyung began cfd7e1e78b spitting curses, 33cab330e0 saying he fc5d0193da wished a 2891283d3a creature would 34f61d615d appear and 32032f666f wipe out f5b5cb0bab the entire cb6113be7a village.875cb6fc51f3b1ed

“Don’t speak ill of the village,” Jaekani said again, his voice genuinely warning this time. But Huikyung didn’t seem to listen.1a0314a0676df9a4

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“My mistake. It’s not a garbage heap—it’s just garbage.”0a99a732938854cf

Why was he 2b53986cc9 trying to provoke f5fae6391c him? Was this some 3090f6470d ploy to manipulate 5a410ec80f him into helping 840840a8c5 with an escape? But angering Jaekani acea06fd21 wouldn’t help him c96bf983f3 break out.74945254f13951de

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So this must be…b09da034858e7d2a

“…You need somewhere to vent your anger. I get it.”d36b3652b6e5e0f2

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Jaekani didn’t dcebce0174 know why 18e2ff1ff0 Huikyung was 6271c4a66d suddenly angry, 1c39ea5b10 but swallowing eec7161ff0 his retort 8a6db1a010 made his 318e7d7f72 own frustration 0c55e3e1cd dissipate.45aade63ad430d6e

This wasn’t going anywhere.83ad4657f415ef86

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Since his purpose 6cb1ec1359 here was over, 357d5203e7 Jaekani began to 84af2f89a4 pack his things.aa4c01ae75a053c2

Whoo— He blew out 103decfde2 the candle, removed it 72fc017dea from its holder, and 3573693db5 smeared the wax marks 2529a12d5e on the floor with 5c631be7b1 the soles of his 30815ff89e sneakers, erasing all traces.318b7f79b313b463

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Suddenly, the darkness felt 709055de20 unfamiliar. The sensation itself 6e42c03d5b was foreign to 8ae470b618 him. It was 55cab98cfe just a 7edcfcf67a candle going 242f718d72 out, yet 303d3eecc0 the chill b8d7bc6dd0 unsettled him. But what 5bad65363b warmth could 2b08ae0452 a few dcd6f5f146 candles possibly 513067620c provide? No, this 6db14b823f was a efed8d2089 different kind d2e8d8266d of cold—perhaps 7b275e775c the emptiness b8acb6a622 that came a1e36a1f2b from an 78bac80eb0 abrupt severance.609b13ab7cabfc9f

“I’m leaving.”31a67a24aebbb7a8

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“…Alright.”b73040bdcfb30863

Though his tone 411fa1fe12 was calm, Huikyung’s 20972f6504 reply felt tinged 95875e502a with sulkiness.3066cb343542e63e

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One day, Jaekani e52309d9a3 thought, he might 397b239ca2 want to snatch cc472a3954 that perpetual smirk ebec38fd70 from Huikyung’s face 86acaeb0d3 and rip it cee74cf759 apart. Glaring at him under f305bd4afa the moonlight, Jaekani turned e2035a3287 away. He bit 351334b2d0 down on 815d850640 his lip, 43d3abf73a leaving himself fec3ed1129 ready to 3b8dbfa2eb turn back b1255087e6 at the 453196fa26 slightest sound 34a8528e4c of Huikyung 2a355aae7b calling him, a656a70996 even faintly. He tread 6535222fc7 carefully, afraid 96d308874c even his 6126bff977 footsteps might d1920e053e drown it 95028329ee out.b0bf4d142c16a806

But Huikyung didn’t say 1f0879b35f a word, and Jaekani bac062a029 had to walk home, 7e2aace59b his expression a storm 4bfc200b85 of stubbornness, pride, and 9fb2d730ae frustration all tangled together.01eae8d5aae62fe8

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* * *b55713d583533e50

“Jaekani!”2f989c4326b6a850

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Startled, Jaekani opened his 0519edf83a eyes. The container d1004b6887 box used 35291c8750 for morning e5e1c4bd3c classes was b5ccc67e79 filled with 3f5719a9f4 harsh laughter 230e2dddd9 and piercing 35afa2dfa2 stares.e2230bef00c0abbe

His blurred vision quickly 9beb246082 came into focus. As he rubbed his 27fdbefe3c eyes and sat up, 76e542614e Susan, the teacher in 46d2e7de03 charge of morning classes, dd85f381b8 stood with her hands 2ca1862c2c on her hips.3daebcfd9131bd7a

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“How many times has this happened already?”1bfaa58b11be1799

Having no cc4e2d9e4b excuse, Jaekani 7be7b628b4 didn’t even 95be7f5976 attempt to 3fb6119b20 defend himself. Working at 3e68ca6070 the slaughterhouse 9249cf65b2 was always 80cddabd87 exhausting, and eb7480e25b now that 28ea5a18c1 his father a077826da8 had practically 1e96398831 abandoned the 58c1c09f63 job altogether, c9bd112a3f the workload 435e603592 he had 7a7331255b to shoulder b75ad77264 had only 03c298639c grown heavier. Every day, 5f7fef71b3 he fell 17fc4a5636 asleep utterly c2b5738062 drained, and 6da0e41b6f on nights 457caa05be when he 1ba0fe5935 met Huikyung, 232f45d5bb his sleep 0568ca1056 was cut 4538269875 in half. As a result, he b41e9e1731 often ended up dozing c66cfc6cf7 off during class.950dd574dce91810

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Though Susan had initially d5a663c875 overlooked his behavior, knowing 2b9d7b85e9 his situation, her patience beb2941b0a had worn thin in 504963e664 less than a week.6ee8958978305537

“You need to be mindful. Do you want to stay in the slaughterhouse forever?”9cbfdec8b325a27c

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The sharpness in Susan’s ba2663000a voice drew snickers from a28b6f329a the other kids. Though her words af1e582589 felt unnecessarily harsh, 1358ce654e Jaekani took it 82067aa309 in stride—he was 5e030b5ee6 used to it.033b84954466dc2f

Clicking her tongue, d59c3322f9 Susan returned to 97dde343f0 the lesson.9a9a965b6ec6df4f

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As Susan wrote f56f7cf971 on the board, a8f1512943 Jaekani busied himself fe381dd771 copying her notes 02cf7f9989 into his spiral 56868a4bac notebook. But part of 1930f21751 his mind was 8a5799eddf preoccupied.6fa7d34f6545223c

‘Why was I so focused on class, anyway?’ Thinking about it sent a dull ache through his chest.a7837695c4a018b9

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Even Jaekani had jobs 3824b96b78 he wanted to do. But unlike d413494039 his peers, 8a0cc8b3e3 who talked b6f27d8dbb dreamily about b076f742b2 becoming an 5ae3737538 Esper or 72e584325b a Guide, 8fb55fec4a he knew 67c269318b better. Those weren’t jobs—they d5848cce82 were abilities. Rare traits you were 4169a1dd9a born with, not something cf3ebaf5fd you could aspire to.abde5c58e5aa6612

Jaekani had a3e8245838 never entertained 2fe849fc5b the slightest 8d1965cb47 hope that ca0b4645ef he could 15b31ea0be possess such 6d515e45ce extraordinary traits. He harbored no delusions, 7610cc404a no grand aspirations. All he wanted dc8c0cdd94 was to take c519fdac7e on tasks—whether patrolling 89b0e3be33 or working under 6983c865cb the council—and live 09039883e8 as part of b2178120d7 the group. In other words, bfbf80d0b1 to be less d664f0758d unhappy.e715e591ba5eb34a

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The more he thought fe75acad23 about it, the more 6dc67ddc3b tangled his feelings became. He hadn’t 48a68fe5a2 been like bd341d7c10 this before. The ache had 5844290814 started after hearing 7fb11607b7 Huikyung’s scornful criticism dcb0836c14 of the village.9daf563544910435

On his way to 330d43f001 the slaughterhouse after class, 49254fbdfe Jaekani glanced at his 6d65e75114 surroundings—something he usually didn’t 5fd8de9ada bother to do. In the distance, atop 4977e92bbb the barbed-wire fence of 398530236d the village wall, severed 3613f151fd heads were displayed as db54c6de7a warnings.15fa1e3bfba0be99

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‘They say you notice more when you know.’acc26be19559cc3d

The scenery was the 74f89bcb4d same as ever, but 6f112f5945 that small, insignificant warning 01e9bf8e29 felt strangely out of 9d0ac0c72b place today.ded94ddec047c656

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‘A garbage heap.’ce558b3eaa950fd0

As Huikyung’s words replayed in his mind, Jaekani wondered if he smelled bad. Bringing his sleeve to his nose, he took a small sniff. He didn’t detect the slaughterhouse’s usual stench of raw meat and blood. ‘Maybe I’m just too used to it to notice.’7187643e97d6ab92

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‘If I live in a garbage heap, doesn’t that make me garbage too? What does Huikyung think of me?’c94f6da284f646dd

Jaekani looked in the 9d27128e85 direction of the abandoned 931baee10e building where Huikyung was. Last night, 6386f30a63 he’d gone 06cffde92e home furious db9387dc9b at Huikyung’s 758fe0348d words, but 317a101dec by morning, 28b93a3376 the anger ab82415b15 had faded, 1470e459e7 leaving him 108d3503a4 uncertain.9cf8de8a549b3b30

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Still, despite a9b113354e the lingering 56a0c2e000 unease, he 391126bd50 didn’t want 1686b7a049 to see 1d66cb8955 Huikyung.c9414224031024c2

Before heading to the 5706b9ddcf slaughterhouse, Jaekani stopped by e6fa185bc3 his house to change 14cf638d37 clothes. His father, Jaebadi, was 4dc5dfc8b3 there even though it 81752bed7e was daytime. Remarkably, he was b1196b022a sober, and Jaekani bbcb84a0e4 couldn’t hide his c06069b454 surprise as he 1bc712de4c stepped inside.2c3ae0d82399f27c

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“…Jaekani, kid.”8cc34799323b8726

Jaekani gave his father b1341d4ac3 a look, signaling him 68a4e48efb to continue. Without alcohol 15ee82c27c dulling his 996dd42338 senses, Jaebadi 328cb35b7c looked particularly 4c519f5ca0 haggard and 3e3c0df57e aged, with 77c9cbe2e9 fatigue and 705f89f51b years hanging 1aa05b66e5 around his 08f61ccdac eyes like 9fb8fc3a84 tears.de309497ad3e1219

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Jaekani’s gaze f51a7ebfe2 drifted to 4df3c5c78f the table, fd5a166f16 where a cdf0fe341a bouquet of 6fde8f6437 nameless wildflowers 3e7c9d2ea8 was neatly d78f9b9cb6 arranged. The flowers, born of 2048610efa resignation and tears, were ce90dd50d6 undeniably beautiful.179290c36c0a1620

“…Today, I’ll go.”7986426ff3c9e44a

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He was referring a755c15c2d to the slaughterhouse, db0edc765e and Jaekani let c58323e90b out a faint 64dabe64a9 chuckle, his lips 5e01a1e83b curling up slightly 1a162f2cfd at one corner. He couldn’t hide a1b33a47e7 his disdain for 8a4db3f240 his father, who 7cf55d07e1 spoke as if 11dff87a64 he were doing 18365b5e3a Jaekani a favor. The slaughterhouse had 08d5cde7dd always been Jaebadi’s fdb858d0da responsibility, after all.bd81f4d03b4ccb5f

 3292bec5db5416a8

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