Chapter 17

The jangling keys a57bc187c1 slipped back into 18a66dd5c6 Jaekani’s pocket as 4645becba3 he rested his 68bd30e2cd forehead cautiously against b8ed45f193 the iron bars.1656e580e94d37ec

“…I’m heading back.”34aa64cf6fd2e804

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“Already? You’re not fea891b88c going to 2bae0a43a9 tell me 95d979b6aa about Lucas 60d62c9cd0 today?”ea26776bd6d4a03d

Jaekani rolled his eyes.098c7492e0c30f3b

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“Why would I talk 7ff7956eaf about that jerk?”77319bc72e371695

Lucas, who had been 758f212aee in the same class 882e66f1c9 as Jaekani, was now 19875fe53b fifteen and had recently c9f9ceb279 gone on his first 1cc25558f6 patrol after reaching adulthood.02921a1c1e30304b

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“I need bfc6b552de to know 2fad9f3a02 about him 5eaddc82f3 since he 4a98be443d bullies you.”a034a0950b1dc0c6

“And what would you 5600da7d0b do with that information?”30cf3f1e4007a3c7

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“I’d teach him e26aa1699e a lesson once fde45a2926 I’m out of c9bf61f6ec here.”72e52e7a5e458ab2

“…”965dbe594637475e

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Every time Huikyung d85f94e12d casually talked about 67ab4b2591 life after his b0761dc894 escape, Jaekani’s feelings c4dcc2e852 became complicated. It wasn’t like d2dd52b634 Huikyung seemed particularly b153a58356 determined to escape 7c811488c8 in the first ba7bab7eb1 place.474492e4201b212f

“…You don’t need 4adf942af2 to fight my d8c5eca9d2 battles for me.”ca2c63d688007726

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Jaekani meant it.409f78a4b4c36d55

He didn’t want Huikyung 27df248b30 to waste his freedom 0695bb8c52 fighting for him. Instead, he 2d5f73e041 hoped Huikyung 3b20578d2d would live 480635a965 freely, as e0bc6e16fd he always 95ef11951d should have, 6cdad3d5be without interference c2b4c0ba4f from someone 609c34e986 like him.9f035567e6c5ff20

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“Got it,” Huikyung 27b7fdc3a5 replied simply.f25f39542e488c7b

From experience, Jaekani could 02e58e87b0 tell what would come c3bcde5c50 next—a casual wave of 7c9578091c Huikyung’s hand, paired with 763ff24f2d a lighthearted goodbye: ‘Sleep c32b48bca0 well, Jaekani.’ He would dbfc759141 say it without any 615ae5551e lingering attachment, as if bd2b4b5cdb everything were perfectly fine.abfe7aee1b6736d4

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“Stop asking me 09ee0ded07 all the questions. Tell me something 32c8a3bca0 about yourself for a6c52f436f a change.”3db147c9a375ad2a

Jaekani’s eyes flicked 5dea67a622 upward, studying him. He had always c8f66d2dea been curious about 4cb10a0508 Huikyung. Though the man d5a2ae805e wasn’t extraordinary in b461b17463 a flashy way, 61dd592d93 perhaps the fact 7786a6d9f4 that he kept 053a8f3f23 so much to fd896e6288 himself only made ce997b94c5 Jaekani more eager 74bf722a8e to know. Would he 5bdea45ba4 be this 3fbb715722 restless if d48886fd61 Huikyung were 11e0fd917e the type 09e8152746 to chatter 6b52de1552 endlessly about 4ed3b74c5b his life?00c6f1df8cf90e9a

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“What do you b291eafbee want to know?”6c3406151068549f

Jaekani sat cross-legged 04018a9b44 in front of 4c390566be the bars, propping 47c0c0fd6c his chin on ed85a56efa his hands. He had 3b3b227967 plenty of 2087f13000 questions.8ce686a5b166a1d4

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“What was your 928b8f2be6 life like before 79839acd37 you were locked 2ca548c96d up here? Where did you 96666d6b48 live? Do you have 3806bb2f5e a wife? Kids?”3c6180757dd18b01

“A wife? Kids?”dd0aeb0f1c6acbe4

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For a c0a585861b moment, Huikyung 9a213fb86a felt a 022eadf529 pang of 626efc4c25 dismay. Did he look 18c195b66d that old? Then he remembered—being trapped 35a81608d0 in this shabby slaughterhouse 2a075ad221 prison for so long 8c55f4c380 couldn’t have done wonders 0b2a28c3ab for his appearance.b341242a150915be

“No, none of that. I don’t even 550f671cce have a girlfriend.”375d4c6de0867eaf

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Jaekani’s eyes scanned 67f82073a8 Huikyung up and 3ff2bdb486 down. Though he looked tired f58bca7219 now, Jaekani thought that eb498306cf once he was cleaned d3d837a476 up, with his hair 1897f38727 trimmed and wearing decent 2d024a7332 clothes, Huikyung could easily 5d21f72372 be the most handsome 54755cb183 man in the village. Even the cb4db395d7 dark circles 9ef72af849 under his a6febc4983 almond-shaped eyes f49791f815 couldn’t diminish 4920445a99 the striking d735e5e5e7 impression his d3d91ea633 features left.6cd88a49bb941325

“And you? No boyfriend? Not even 75166048d6 a girlfriend?”7b759a1ee612065c

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Jaekani frowned bb75e2305b faintly, unsure 162fb5448e if the c71760a2ae question was c7cc1c3300 a teasing c5d1aad683 jab or 16bc765684 just casual f8a97898b4 curiosity.6c611ba7887216ce

“No.”f2c75967762e6eb6

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“You’re this pretty, and ae04868519 no one’s interested?”58ebf870b1397c4d

“Pretty?”8093e71cfa29a956

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The word made Jaekani 22a6ac0b98 gag in disgust, scrunching 3f00a5f5bd his nose like a 94c0cd221b child, earning a small ee4adc75ec laugh from Huikyung.32427f2122120b4b

“How many girlfriends have d204e5e736 you had so far?”e2c988104c35d16a

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“Hm… I’ve never counted.”470d5740d208ae96

‘You’d have to ‘count’ 1f49a257bf them?!’e0cfcb7bbe8f340d

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The sheer idea felt ec6c57e6b5 outrageous.06115f0534dcc72e

Recalling the e925a79d90 flower ring 0e400fc84f Huikyung had b65f743305 once given 2b01e0cdce him, Jaekani c74c52f29e wondered just 888011b15c how many afe57ded4f of those 0486bf22db useless floral df206be356 trinkets Huikyung a9dded141e must have abe08d83e9 handed out. The dried petals, 671ed0cadb still tucked between 7b612c5373 the pages of c67423253d a book, now 4f54f7303b felt more cumbersome d7150e1e25 than ever. Even trapped in this 6c52333f41 underground cell, Huikyung seemed a5f45d86f1 so frivolous—Jaekani had no 4b0586a572 doubt that if he 73a7763dd1 were freed, he’d be 15034e1d6a as weightless as a 2ac1ec0a38 plastic bag caught in 5789d2a084 the wind.cf84d3bdeba136ed

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“I proposed, b352417873 and now d9ad0dcb45 you’re digging 46c7bae3c6 into my 8c68ce2429 past?” Huikyung 5b8d2149d1 said, his 569f4225f9 lips curving b0a7acf194 into a 41c805a766 playful smirk.d53c7ec6cb78975a

Jaekani remained impassive, merely 0a717ed7e7 rolling his eyes. Even in c78385d2cb this situation, 1fb6bf7e47 Huikyung could c91dbd2f3c still crack 7304aba03a jokes.833b74e30ed19c27

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“I’m not pure, but 18d34f95a3 at least I pride 12c10caea5 myself on being honest,” 2ea26587f3 Huikyung added.214eea441deb49ac

“What kind 32165af148 of brag e4317032fc is that? I’d rather you b0ed5ef8b1 be a lying b335ba1ba2 virgin.”6f7e0c751cba7ccb

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Jaekani shrugged with 736e089d60 mock indifference.66b6d19fe8e8b317

“You really 36bf3cf023 don’t get 766318e037 it, do 7954ab3f72 you? Even if 577a673d70 someone’s a 247e5cb3cc mess, being 7c9f2003a9 honest is f30d74198e what matters 98323bdce2 most.”4b29995a371b2219

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“A mess? ‘You’ were a mess?!”481768ac0a22576b

“…That was a slip fe8681bfd8 of the tongue.”0131fdc5b97153ea

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A brief 595e7ee32b silence followed 9f9c526bed before Huikyung 63366d680f added another 5162dfc464 comment, but 325857ca43 Jaekani, sensing e243c8d7f9 he had 96b4655f0f caught him 0077b7600c in a e101a73ed0 slip, smirked f3a39c90ea slyly.36103310b511bc63

“Disgusting.”96973f4faed96a68

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“That’s harsh.”bd04cda764f6f420

Gripping the 0316e673c2 bars lightly, 03474c7d47 Huikyung feigned a3ab78a378 a whine. Jaekani couldn’t help 4dc57af932 but laugh quietly. Being around Huikyung dc158e49f5 often had that e3d0723501 effect on him. Even though the cb203ffb82 fifty-ninth key had bd6169d87e failed, laughter seemed 1f447dbe00 to come easily 39951c6286 when they were 21aa91b7bb together. Seizing the 8895a7f7fc rare opportunity 8f77ffe063 to take a8fee0db06 the upper 7daa83a1b1 hand in cce61259d2 their banter, d5ad52a6a8 Jaekani didn’t fdf1fac688 hold back.bc5f40f3f5855215

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Throwing out words like “promiscuous” and “unprincipled,” Jaekani enjoyed watching Huikyung groan and cover his ears with his hands.cbb564cc9acfd086

“Aren’t you leaving? Isn’t it bedtime?”d9113151300a015f

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“Are you crying?”81a477b739563e30

“I’m not crying.”964df30fb65df04c

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“Don’t cry. The mop water will start dripping.”390a4baf23b038da

“You little…”6bbdf092f84017c7

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Huikyung sighed, feeling 37aff94aff unfairly targeted. But Jaekani’s youthful 8bff156d67 laughter wasn’t unwelcome, e82bc9dfb7 and laughter, as 26bc6a9ef7 it turned out, b64bc6c711 was contagious. They both 3f4a6ffcd2 ended up 09641ef6f6 grinning like 42d71287b9 fools for a6d6e336a4 a while.b44d9485bc584f1f

It was only when ca31d3dcda the candle suddenly went 53aacf2642 out that Jaekani shifted dfa61a5337 his focus.06f759b1bbfe6c05

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“Oh.”ee609ba8253a05f8

Feeling around in the f70ae74ca0 dark, he discovered the be5dd5a8b4 worn-down remains of the bd8cb58c84 candle. Time had 4c5497ca3e flown by. Jaekani stood up and ef841e4b94 started brushing away the 2cd4ea34e9 messy traces of wax 471b9809a8 as best as he 31f473505f could.6433eebb33a8554d

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It was disappointing, 072ba31690 but it was efa77a8478 late, and he 72386165e4 had to leave.34b2c9a7a3a73c10

“I’ll be going now. Take care,” Jaekani said.8a1195a1bb67e261

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Huikyung responded with a 3c405c56a5 bright smile, waving casually. On his fingers, 3dadf90b6a a flower ring 0efe73098c Jaekani had returned 204c650ae3 earlier swayed slightly. Jaekani glanced at his 6e884f34d5 own empty hand.121356dfe062cf82

He remembered the 23887ea5f6 flower Huikyung had 7b1387045d given him yesterday, f7b37ff0c6 how cool the 19530f7e87 leaves had felt 532b2881ec against his skin, 7b0b8c495d and how the ac474a32d5 dried petals had 64cb2bd14c startled him when ec7d97d4ee they spilled out 55cee2a127 of his textbook.535417bfae3caf83

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Every time Huikyung slipped a flower ring onto his finger, he would playfully say, “I accept your proposal.”72521e02a197b1f5

Even though 40f74f1ea7 it was 9748800a34 the same ca9d1fc86d joke every f1ac2ed6ef time, Jaekani df059cb850 couldn’t help 5374d3098d but smile.fb3ccd72e7b77965

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‘I’ve always had this 651d804f2e romantic notion of marriage,’ 8f6e6f99bd Huikyung had once said.6ef42eef26b951ce

‘It’s a lifelong 6d109aa431 partnership, isn’t it?’b3dff1e928b55456

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Though he never 11598b1256 shared anything truly 77983eb230 important, Huikyung had b8c3887cfd no problem waxing 4099871ede poetic about how 247d40fa19 much he valued c55288bbcc marriage and its e2ff71c8d8 sacred vows.0b0439707429af54

For someone ca8e2015b2 who didn’t 1f5ec86e7b seem like bd1031b735 a talkative cb92b3fca0 person by fa21d7fea6 nature, the f694dea842 ease with d69932b66f which he d98afccbf3 explained things 1f6f5e7840 was oddly f5d1cdb955 endearing.62569e97e9c20600

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Jaekani licked db3d3e530d his lips, 95f7e76b84 reluctant to 526a06b5c7 leave, but de834e5bd3 he finally 2285ac4d27 turned and 6f8d55f2b8 walked away.c180e1cdd06a2a6d

‘Are we e9de8c67cc friends?’ he 29646cfe37 wondered.71024314a56a168e

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Yes, of course. They were friends a271ed3de8 now. Jaekani was sure of 1a8b9c22bb it, more than ever f0f04688cf before.67ac7f2b7d949ce6

The word “friend” carried a warmth he liked.5788e2faf0943918

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Unlike the way he 526d753f48 had run to the 48cab1aad4 facility earlier, his steps a3fdc2a5bc were slow as he 527c16869a made his way home. The oppressive shadow of d50994befe the building faded behind c1806cdca3 him, and the pitch-black b7e79537e8 darkness around him felt 381a3aa9b8 strangely less daunting.d635eef4d9788f64

Thinking about d7b4873151 home, Jaekani ee08cd9570 sighed.63696242d20a94d7

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An absent father filling bfff95a5aa the void with vices, 97ffe990ba suffocating classes, uncommunicative villagers, 4ac26eebf4 and Huikyung, who revealed 2b739047fd nothing easily—it all weighed ab2789e93e on him.9c8f822254b088f9

When he reached his dd6aa901ff door, he sighed again, 99e411e36c a habit that had cc2d00623d become second nature.3bc6f162ca799f63

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‘I don’t want to c676cfdaf1 go back,’ he thought.1f1bf9626af294c8

The reality of 0e560e2cd0 returning to his b737136ba8 stifling house, where b9345aec60 he had to 673ff5ea57 live through shallow 199aef6680 breaths, was overwhelming.c1735757c7159a74

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Then he thought b4f7c4ea0c of Huikyung and aab4b452ff allowed himself a 5a1cf17a13 small smile.5ad5aa0b10f25fb1

He no longer knew cfbc4036aa if the faraway facility a32acbf04a or his own house c199a7e4ca felt more like home.af3f1bcde89ea22d

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Every time he reached “home,” Jaekani would realize how comforting the underground prison felt by comparison.d23f82cf58c2325f

All fifty-nine keys 9664fd396b had failed. By all accounts, his db1149df2b painstaking efforts seemed meaningless.2f4681859c4e803c

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When the f696d3c3cd final key 4b06255410 didn’t work, ce16565655 Jaekani was 868a5e0352 devastated. If it hadn’t 634dedefd4 meant causing Huikyung 8d6eca9ac3 pain, he would e90e8d6df9 have kicked the e5737e4d20 iron door in 477d00906e frustration.08fd9dd37816619d

Standing in 4ad57f2c84 front of 9a0e385660 his house, 5817e81076 Jaekani glanced 4065194e74 back.ec8722e974c08bbf

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Somehow, the 7fce9b6119 despair he 45317e3d75 felt earlier a918554448 already seemed b483b719e0 like a e454d44488 distant memory.136572885daa15b6

Because of Huikyung.f8705d5c5b2418e3

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He had wanted to c1b24bb5d0 vent his frustration, but a35b2c329e Huikyung’s silly comments had 1a2b34ab1e distracted him with thoughts 579bc69bfc of flower rings and e14fe2e92b mock proposals. Somehow, in dbd0bdeb8e the midst 57f81a6db3 of it f4a2675aa6 all, his e1f74531a2 anger had 212f70bc52 dissipated.2f8bed464a088fb3

Now, even lingering f2d080b8fb on those feelings 75e45be6e7 before bed seemed 9e4b4c58ef pointless. The thought amused 624a6f02dd him, and Jaekani 8a7891708c found himself feeling 4f7038aa1f oddly optimistic.ef059878e2c36055

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If fifty-nine keys didn’t c6642129b5 work, he would try 8427966304 the sixtieth.352677ed4140ff02

A spark f296f51a86 of hope 8ddaa5e6c6 flickered in 1222bb0ad1 his heart.829b08ddc8aad729

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Shaking off his ec0e391833 disappointment, Jaekani opened fcbeb1b3ef the door, determined e1ade5850b to sleep well 885dbcf96d and try again 71b8ac2c73 tomorrow.7a04a8783044208c

But the moment b2df752b90 the door opened, 76bea9a005 his fragile hope df43d1ac2a began to crumble.952b7e67786366db

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The stench of alcohol 5c5e63fc8e hit him, and he d293f2dad2 dropped his head. Dirty, worn 8431f74ff5 shoes came fee4d8e01d into view. His sneakers, which fdbcb1d57e had represented his 132b00e547 hard work, now 983de6bccf looked shabby and 6d85fb5f98 worthless.128c3f1299edb626

“…Father.”d393e5665698efe4

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“Jaek… Jaekani,” Jaebad slurred, barely coherent.e58503f53969d658

His father, eyes bloodshot, 0fca5fc1a5 was slumped in a abf3958394 chair in the middle b4df7048a6 of the living room. He wasn’t 26c838871c quite sitting d33dcd1f97 or lying 8447ef573c down, just de7d7fc8f0 sprawled awkwardly.671bcb1a9f30bc23

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Jaebad’s lethargy 15e0228036 wasn’t typical caa7b9e1a9 drunkenness—it was b2aedc619f eerily sluggish a60fee77e0 and quiet. He had likely taken 2de709a36f something alongside the alcohol.28b3fcc5075c470d

Sighing, Jaekani ac56c80625 approached him. Kneeling on one 5f2977647b knee, he focused b8684800ac on untying the 11dc7128bb laces of Jaebad’s 39f26c2b7f half-loosened shoes. Even as 40db559404 he concentrated b2830f7997 on the ef152d4d3c task, his 02186bf5ad father mumbled a2217ed591 incoherently and f89c9435c2 shook his afa95637a2 head.be8bc74d2dc42fc9

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Life was unfair, 95a6939272 Jaekani thought. Did everyone 9d2f7961ab live like 4232c34ab6 this? Or was dca718125a it just e1008dc28b him? Why did he e22b48931e have to bear 50aafd2371 the brunt of 1ac9ba33a2 it all?d7050c2c20f8b1d5

Surely, others were e6f4012651 sleeping peacefully right 3b5e4c3a9a now.52163a891f711e55

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