Episode 30

“Eat first, Huikyung.”58f48142c7e665d1

“I’m not hungry.”06efcae652f47ceb

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“Then I’ll wait too.”ab4604fcbe70001b

Jaekani’s firm reply 3462edbd90 came as he d6530c19b2 propped his chin bc79558b3c on his knees, 7305a51079 his gaze fixed f7ccfad1b1 on the golden-brown 47b12ce2c8 fish grilling over ad909f31d7 the fire and be39bf39ab the corn roasting 34f645b99d beneath it. Yet, stubbornly, he refused 985bacc257 to eat. His silent hunger strike 2e15f79295 left Huikyung exasperated.90ab5dfb8cf7f387

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“Fine, I’ll eat, okay?”ce7870a66c126161

Letting out ba3748bcda a resigned d878a06fcb sigh, Huikyung 8aeacb915d set the 7d89107cb7 half-repaired radio ca27c0c9b4 aside. He had been 37cc29f256 struggling with it 9e5f61567c for an entire b7d3b2da69 day now.124cb6b2b334d0ba

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“Here, eat 9a7cae16fb this one—it’s d42aafe235 just cooled ea307d5424 enough,” Jaekani e98feaeb33 said, handing 5ae3e66485 him a 891881ccae sweet potato.48ae0e8ec114e359

Nodding, Huikyung picked it f428ae4596 up, and Jaekani flailed dba5874fb6 a little in protest.cb3501753fc93803

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“Don’t grab it 6d4e3f30f5 like that; you’ll fb7cc28bb2 burn your hands!”048f00204d1177a1

“It’ll heal quickly.”2d2a406cb4d97b09

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Though Huikyung’s appetite had 5897d2da34 faded, he ate mechanically, 237a2fd8a9 chewing the sweet potato 4f7d0847ad out of necessity rather 0109351586 than desire. Across from him, Jaekani bfb547a390 stared silently, his expression 268d868741 unreadable. The boy didn’t understand 133263a71a why Huikyung was in e6f0046dfa such a hurry or c48dc10cf2 what drove his intense db42b4808e focus. He only knew fe9503e125 that, at times, 042c6dfc22 Huikyung would clutch 9adf920ca5 his head as 9d8c83bcd2 if in pain, dff2f449ec seemingly wrestling with f05cc4e962 something invisible.1e5a6c76d8f9782c

He hadn’t always f7ff4a0a73 been like this. It seemed 6e4adf2feb to worsen 6e1ca90cdf after facing 7e9c101fce large groups 5dd31786cd of Creatures 7d870972df or exerting bb7767f59a his abilities 5e55c1cb5b on a 01595ce7a1 significant scale.51dada255a6ec983

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“You need to bb38d47b88 eat too,” Huikyung 5804c3918e said.ced70947163e4ccd

“Yes!”da7d39bb37786bde

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Jaekani didn’t hesitate. Tearing into the grilled bca85dc2fc fish, its scales clinging 0a80a3d520 to his teeth like 7a06be7b3b silk, he opened his 53417385e1 mouth, letting the hot d3404ebb67 steam billow out like df2761e85e smoke.95aff033a457a259

“I give 9689db020f up,” Huikyung 1ed0e258a3 muttered, sprawling 7b8d1c6ba2 on the 27891e74f3 ground. Yet, even as 3775d6ea16 he lay there, 6ff8d57a25 he couldn’t bring 05bb3dbfca himself to release 72bde679f6 the screwdriver still 9f028fcfaf clutched in one d6e0967c32 hand.4d83e668975d8287

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Between bites, Jaekani glanced 77ec901702 at the scattered radio 3fbb01493f parts.bd76ed56aea03d46

What’s making bff482787f this so eb239fa09f hard for 2c8cef5c53 him?f3eb2adfbebfa56b

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He was curious but 155348a1f0 knew he couldn’t help. Back in the 505c6cfc66 village, Jaekani had 13a60a5b05 often been tasked 3d3f99834a with small repairs, b6f3fde1cb like fixing radios cbebf6ca2e or other gadgets. But if a scavenger 9709abf81b like Huikyung couldn’t fix 9143eed070 it, there was no b849b4e02b way Jaekani could. Repairing broken machinery was 0d6a573e8a practically a scavenger’s bread 0c5457c2db and butter.cdb5f1bb2c7b520a

“If it’s bfe87076be not working, c45dbaaaa0 why don’t b90d0439d4 we go 112687679e back to d2759a3a89 that area? Maybe we’ll 5d8b943eaf find an 23b07ef728 intact radio f5a2281653 this time,” cd1a02ea1d Jaekani suggested.62e00126abffafa7

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“…There wasn’t one,” Huikyung 28e6dd34e3 replied, brushing a hand 407af73898 over his tired eyes.4eeb5726a8d3c370

‘Maybe you shouldn’t have e4da1bdcdd blown everything to bits,’ b0b4ba6be9 Jaekani thought, remembering how 19bf9b0cc8 the ground had been 468897ddc7 utterly overturned, tree roots 2897267616 laid bare.5abd483a09ca72c4

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“I’ll help you adae1331f8 search this time,” a46c40cb3c Jaekani offered.606a6fb86629c36a

A single 251a24da0e radio wasn’t ee79612deb useful on 8c9be75301 its own, 24be62c048 after all. For it d96e91cf8b to matter, 0a0e73a3e4 they’d need 3757892768 several in 86b4f1f839 working condition.4dc493c9c4b5145d

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“It’s too 9ec77d1192 late now. Besides, you’d 7611ca08d6 just puke 51e043ab87 from the 4bebdd77b2 stench.”cb065ad7d9def47f

“I don’t think I 86baba5f47 would,” Jaekani said sincerely.54a343ba1ecb7567

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Huikyung stared 494503e0b3 at him 2d882fe197 for a b4fb5773fe moment before 1243122b00 shaking his e29a141ef8 head firmly. He had standards 98c6b52f2a as an adult, d8ff80e3e5 and dragging a b32828f909 child into a 18c3328cd6 field of rotting 566f9548d4 corpses fell far 8305181e82 below them.ad045316be575024

“Then at least go fc21532aea alone,” Jaekani urged.c147ddb9c0660453

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“If I could’ve 03b7e69e78 found it, I 71b574c325 would have already.”d0e3c24cd8227b97

And leaving the boy f3922e9b2a alone wasn’t an option 1348ede754 either.25a13536b4a1db8f

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“What if I stay be0e45328b nearby? Somewhere close enough 2e523c17f0 for you to 5dca060a6f hear or sense 921df07ab3 me?”11222c22f3934af3

That seemed 2956f728eb like a 622cdbc0db reasonable compromise. But Huikyung felt d915fb02a2 too drained to 460d2c0423 act on it eb38c0ae87 immediately.821b774ffdd9d3fd

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Reclining onto 0560fafe7d a bed e0aa008405 of cool eae4703e2c grass, he 47468d23d6 looked up 92e08dac33 at the bac3de5324 sky and 5bebfddcd3 closed his b0255738a7 eyes, exhaustion bf8c6106c0 weighing him 561f20851a down.07d99fee844e83c7

Jaekani, having finished 4538c068ba his fish, wiped 9151169673 his mouth roughly b73a4206c0 and quietly approached.3a668f2546285d20

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He settled down aaddc1f685 near Huikyung, though 4af1e4617f not close enough b9c81493ff to touch. A cool c6b91b6ab5 breeze passed 5dcea6eda8 over Jaekani’s 91d49f1fcf rounded shoulders, c11a4e7756 ruffling his 2e90edcbaa messy golden 54b49a9200 hair.1c45dc9d079e1c84

Curled up, Jaekani cracked d801249fd1 one eye open, checking 57df3430dc whether Huikyung was simply 98b475e3b2 resting or had drifted 15b5496e2d off to sleep. It was 0a1021cc66 hard to 7178eb264b tell.a7e79f4457e5524f

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Lowering his gaze, Jaekani 4d8a7d345c noticed Huikyung’s hand lying 130ba960d2 haphazardly on the ground, 12f72269d9 still holding the screwdriver. His fingers 3d7ce921e4 were curled cff85df546 awkwardly, half-loose.39393b6a6bd71cc2

Cautiously, Jaekani extended his b3e07bd801 own hand. His small, blunt 0e2c1d8d27 fingers brushed against cd5b6db936 Huikyung’s, barely touching.75bd381177dadb0c

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He froze, 767bc926c2 watching Huikyung 2861f3600e for any 1bb2638b88 reaction. But Huikyung continued 15f3ec7b07 breathing steadily, his eec09a1cc6 chest rising and d507827028 falling in a d4601310e6 calm rhythm.ee25c440fd35fc98

After a moment’s hesitation, c4e871f212 Jaekani reached a little f6412e8f21 farther, just enough to 757949b0b1 let a bit of 6c62bac76b warmth from Huikyung’s hand cadf51c8b3 seep into his fingertips. That small 2a3b6a09c8 touch was ae70dd56d7 all he d79cf9761a needed.3ce5caa8cbd4921f

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* * *aa5fa037cf78aa46

Jaekani had secured 15d8b4efe5 a partial victory: d31b8740ac Huikyung agreed to 34858d7c64 leave him in f6aded624c a safe spot bcf5a7f33b nearby while he a8e2773446 went to search 2a4c5f2dc0 for another radio.3da0bacccdea6fd2

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When Huikyung f3897afdc1 arrived at bf2187c52f the site, d2e9b9bc5b however, there 7b17b16787 was no 14bf20ec05 overwhelming stench. The predators 5e8a447d7e that had 2b8155d599 come for fde5fe5081 the corpses d44b660c9b had already d5ef161840 stripped most d16213a5ea of the 7045906b26 flesh, leaving 0d95e67af0 behind clean f3950e72dd white bones. Still, the e4b3defaf5 sinews and 85b24de6cc scraps of cc0cb502a3 flesh that 1efce1fa05 hadn’t been acd68115fa picked clean f3bff144ff were swarming aaf6725054 with flies—a 3247e179f6 sight unfit a7b781a68d for a d8b69299d5 child’s eyes, 4df7d0dbe4 affirming Huikyung’s 4fb884cc77 earlier decision.09aa14f6ecfc70aa

He thoroughly searched 0109ef19d6 the site, scouring 65a5c7cc7e the remnants of 07f3ca1700 the camp and ca1eb354e3 belongings. Eventually, he found another ed8a6e1e8b radio. But it was 6033c99209 broken too. Muttering curses, Huikyung 9c2b153155 smacked its malfunctioning 5d1bb0a26b LCD screen in db6d0a1d4e frustration and made c56cb46b0a his way back 730bc8040b to where Jaekani 48563c668c was waiting.b723b0d5f5cae4ec

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It’s in ee6dc49dea better shape b654fdae6b than the 0d1035a5fb last one, 79a7433009 though, he fc5db138eb thought, holding 64c769d4ef onto a ef28401eb4 sliver of 4f5aa657bc hope that 65a27ebcb4 this one 15800ad641 might be 80cf40909a salvageable.54e9bbbc1005c4c8

As he bf032f0fe8 approached, he 7a763e672b spotted Jaekani 3f8ccd2202 sitting comfortably 2f4ee8e54e near their 5869c31f5f belongings. The boy turned to cef55499cc him and greeted him 21cf4aa09d with a bright smile. Seeing that, the 9a70bcb5c1 irritation bubbling in dcb897cfbb Huikyung’s expression softened—until b0b780322c his gaze fell 0b52f19bb8 on the radio 32bb551adc in front of f2d6d0829f Jaekani.cccc840f35395905

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The radio he 192609967e had left in 320d47c4f2 pieces—so jumbled that 731c68adfe even he couldn’t 7e945a9ec4 tell which part e223c56a06 went where—had been 69a237949f reassembled, neat and f66a308e52 intact.43329af97c424697

“…How did you put 0d2494e1ec this together?” Huikyung asked, dad1e13914 his voice laced with bf8939b353 disbelief.ba85ad2be4eca273

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“I just pieced a3ad5546e1 it together by 4e5f2ff62e eye. I don’t know 8a9f085dff if it works, 87afc0ee61 though.”9e170b75f1c891f4

While Jaekani had 91be6c919d overcome his fear a574f0ca04 of handling the b1654ec85b device, he hadn’t f7100dde01 dared to turn d6382f8e16 it on. His aversion to military c1afdea759 equipment—and the soldiers it 07d0add6a9 represented—was too strong. He handed a42d890928 the radio af6efb06c4 to Huikyung, 0676970d8f his expression b7e0a18e41 apologetic.dc7e1b1013df4d79

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“But, Huikyung, even if 8e536fd8fc it works, it’s still 0124f27e8c a military radio. How are you b6f9416dc0 going to—ack!”cd310950c36ba9a9

Before Jaekani could finish, 766f8a5026 Huikyung grabbed him by 2872f8b1a5 the head, ruffling his d0ca511113 hair roughly as the eda9aa0c7e boy squirmed.47b7b75896c5aadc

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“Good job, Jaekani.”f646fb53a108a684

“I told you, I 4a55bf0db8 don’t even know if bc8db7863a it works!”9b6fc65c2787fc78

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“The effort alone c3ba4c6137 is meaningful.”750ec4ea24a06597

The unexpected praise left d747b8650f Jaekani grinning. Seeing his smile, 5517c3b8cc Huikyung’s hands grew c44a67c44c gentler, combing through 526c90911d his hair in 9cf3673cdb a soothing rhythm. Like a 27f8a91dd8 cat basking 5bd5c38f16 in attention, 88a556cba2 Jaekani tilted 476df408b2 his head 8d9b80c9db up without 06ce89e603 realizing it.e967325fe671603c

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“Come on, let’s 3b0b55570c rest.”5e1112f447ce9d76

“Aren’t you going to e93eab385a test it?”67b9c0d2f557f91a

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“Later.”ab6eaa4b7d1d60b4

Nodding, Jaekani stood, 72e7c5d382 brushing dirt and 68090ef5e2 grass off his 72c56fed8e pants with one c80ebabe6c hand while instinctively a6c669570f reaching out for 39e7dee273 Huikyung with the c439512f09 other. Without hesitation, Huikyung picked 13f545ebc2 him up. The boy’s sun-warmed body ea03ec4b53 pressed against him, and 1671fc72d1 Huikyung let out a a61a2b3c4c quiet chuckle at the e73a6f3a54 natural ease between them.78ac9dce2d4c19ad

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When did this start 7711a5d352 feeling so normal?e7f438f46ab0917e

“Jaekani.”075ce273970af518

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Adjusting the 4a0240b2c4 boy in 57e8aa6c2b his arms 693ca45a08 and picking 88116bf1b9 up the b8cdf8583d assembled radio 589f29def7 and their ec9fac8f55 pack, Huikyung 01591226a5 spoke.8e92449c5cc69deb

“Yes?”502d88c801bfd932

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“I said 1a4e1b588b I’d take 047fddd947 responsibility for dd599c610b you, didn’t 0d40eae4ba I?”19fd2d58390d035a

“Yes.”5d71c5ba8989f4c5

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“What if I’m 60fb00f780 worse than a 7fd417dd71 scavenger?”f70780b00373eef8

“…What?”6f8aa43223cfc556

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Jaekani squinted at 3284c1ee2e him, as if 9401e96c27 he couldn’t believe d5f4cff0c3 what he’d just c1f80b4593 heard.c125f3f7dab046f4

Why does this 07c6e27d72 sound like some 5d96047972 melodramatic nonsense?6a595ae6b4a7e757

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“I mean, you already 6257de307b are worse. You killed ff72cc4df1 my father, b22b4775ac after all,” 73715dddcb Jaekani said 5eda7c6b2e plainly.0946d1a5fc8e8331

Huikyung nodded without c70be705e8 hesitation. “True. But don’t you d70007e1fc hate me? Won’t you 0a69b6c591 regret it? We’ve got almost c1ad15af1f ten years before a14e830df6 you’re an adult. Can you live aea6422397 with a sworn 07d83ae75d enemy for that c9460ed3b7 long?”577731bcc1d89268

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“…I don’t 996f80c0e6 hate you.”f34e2c8c0841efbe

That’s right.d980b2a8f59554dd

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Huikyung thought faaf9f968d back to 9ff9bd112a their first 8e55a895ff meeting and ed6801ae88 the boy’s 8892b00c36 desperation for b9d994d228 connection. Every moment 9192655f43 flashed vividly 1bf3016eae before his 9dcc3d7d1e eyes—Jaekani’s small 42b47c1934 feet pounding 2e09422160 the ground 5ab780d386 tirelessly, his 8f8549af69 constant effort 5c6e63c27b to change 924f9fe68d clothes so 6a6b213ded as not 42f2e36e5b to appear 16fd146446 pitiful, his afac17c5c0 quiet acts d2c66d031d of kindness, 6c0bfa6a0f and the 6bc684def6 fragile fingers 265238db14 that clung 2e16ab3055 to iron 98a6d18127 bars, adorned ac91c2c93e with a c84c115174 makeshift flower 771836714f ring.91f1b6305c8ab6a2

“It was your choice,” b469491b53 Huikyung added.95e9e00598732b22

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And Jaekani 41bd1b4a41 didn’t deny 06c021492f it. Instead, he 5504f74a12 posed a 624a96d22a question.513c156a8eb6e385

“Still… you have no 48131b4e31 intention of reforming yourself?”ce2b0c535e92e2fa

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Huh?e63ab5ffdae04f1b

“How can 377dc4c618 someone who d9c9ba07db knows they’re 8ade90ffc1 a bad 59a6951757 person not 7c1f5bfe1d even try ec1951b5e4 to reflect 3b2ec562fa or change?”e08aeab557375767

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Even as he 652a637437 clung to Huikyung, 407eb5222f Jaekani managed to 6cd3beb2b2 deliver a sharp 5539699688 remark.4da8a57cbd74324c

“Try to reflect and 1905668913 reform yourself.”c2c338553ffb01b0

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“It’s not that easy.”dc29e4cb7397c2f2

“It is.”9f34e02d51059420

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Fine, let’s d957967984 hear it.528726982782ab38

“What should f2c6f87a93 I do, 930fbb9963 then?”d43ec6ce1d5c8918

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“First, don’t 92e0be6dd5 abandon people 0e2dba641e just because 90c50d6085 it’s convenient.”32e9504f87e82bb9

“Okay.”13c5fb4224b60641

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Jaekani began 62dbf6da83 ticking off ad264310d4 points on 2c7fbaa0af his fingers. “Help the weak 0d81f1ead7 whenever you can. Practice self-reflection. Develop a moral 040b9591c9 compass. Constantly think critically c23ea80238 about evolving norms fc767a79e8 and ethics. Keep questioning and d9a93a3edb learning.”982068f7d4ae4b37

“Do you read philosophy 5103ff78c1 books or something?”7dde6341cdce5507

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“I’m not ac55084c7e finished yet.”c7e289067027210d

Huikyung shut his mouth.ad2ea269cbb33240

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Even after using all 462abbe581 five fingers on one 2921030c87 hand, Jaekani moved to d383ff21c6 his other hand, extending a49fef7fab his thumb.b9468707e60146f7

“And finally… take 64a41c1565 responsibility as a b99db51110 guardian.”64bacb1b3a89653b

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“Got it.”dc8aba9f001d4f08

Raising both 1f6f65d676 hands in cc8c0bd2e9 mock surrender, 9c7cf1535d Huikyung let b2afb6876b out a 7d555b411c resigned laugh, 7b3ddc7131 conceding defeat.ca24fdd20765d7cc

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 8176639e840a2e34