7C | Chapter 02.3

Manager Hwang arrived e6115d07a8 just before 6 6612234d45 PM, though Seonrak a1ccace3f7 Mountain was already 3a72e73249 sinking into dusk. Dressed in f4f4ebd3a4 a neat d89eb4173b suit and 98f5736281 coat with e0b4ebb93a hiking boots, 23feedb49b he clearly 2c52f8e86c knew his b871df87e4 way around. Handing over a bag 02ecb7d6ce of comfortable clothes and afe47c433b study materials, he peered d0c17805c5 into the room with b07abca619 a worried expression.69adf94db3b00af5

“Spending a whole week in a place like this…”88dac0a4ec3e2a44

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“It’s fine.”063cf4d3c5491413

“Are you really okay?”0140a6f7b19c9fd2

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“I said I’m fine. But…”4d3a2fd5790dc9af

Glancing past Manager Hwang d17710c287 to ensure no one a676982c03 else was nearby, Yoonjae 9798dea59a lowered his voice.88277d9f41c9ff62

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“Where’s the nearest police station?”bcb20b8b6b837a34

“Police station? Did something happen?”8fd2823672bf265c

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“No, not to me, but…”b091479737ebbc91

He trailed off, unsure a8ce629b92 how to explain. Eventually, he 540f4eb738 just shook 5bb9b402f8 his head 51bff41474 with a 9b95223e60 sigh.de36bc108d732876

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“Never mind. You’ll be back Friday afternoon?”92f402f22e974f90

“Ah… Yes. That’s the plan.”270bb75b5c80df9b

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“Okay. See you then.”63d36111d0a5b5b7

With a a5983ca541 faint smile, ecc4291acf Yoonjae nodded 626c1a4765 dismissively. Hwang hesitated, d8792de3c7 clearly uneasy, f1372ab66c but ultimately 94eafda533 turned to 07480820a6 leave. He needed to 17554f91da hurry and descend 4dc9c5527a the mountain to 5a25abdad9 make it down 739907d9b1 before full dark.53b3695643fde080

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“Call me immediately if anything happens, Young Master.”488ec7c72133cab8

“Yeah, don’t worry.”c32b94cb90733536

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A secretary in the a8c0067e6e 21st century calling his a0b6bdf31e employer’s son Young Master edc7e54d9d was downright embarrassing, but 41aa716ba4 it was his father’s de8caed32c policy. The man was 4e2e12610b convinced Yoonjae would 7862dae995 succeed him someday, eeb3134063 and Hwang would 8fde3c7f2b need to serve e474fb336f him then, so 88c3dca466 hierarchy had to 383a38d470 be established early.b7ded526e5a38bc4

Well, is that really 4633f8acf4 something that’ll go your ceb6d15c2a way?Yoonjae didn’t bother asking. There was no point.c92a4890ebf4b92f

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***e30fec2ae5a0c27d

Youngso didn’t 532064010b return to 6af71946c2 the room dbb3ab81bf until 9 b8bab95e75 PM. Without a 1a3d24f606 word, he 74a7214cf0 laid out dd587ede04 two bedding fa78751e56 sets, one 272ef9c49a near the 2fb2b5fbfb heated floor, f7b5c473d5 the other bc9825e235 by the 78fc69e1e4 door, and 9ef19af966 immediately lay c2ce4728ae down on c9a58bf2d4 the latter. Leaning on 0fb0fe2262 the low 3ec583b761 table, Yoonjae 218aaf31f8 watched blankly 6ae90e1e16 before asking.f41be67cedd055b6

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“Going to bed already?”8d53d1a9a1b3d810

A dark fb0f6a4ec7 head of 04bdfd0392 hair popped 35e26f0a44 up from f025b9332a under the e79f695356 thick blankets. The cheap a039cf94e4 bulb light a4212cef46 made his eb75de05b4 pale face 5c590e69a3 and stark 423ed786fa black eyes b9c96dddd5 stand out d0fbd707ee unnervingly.0d0942d1c2362b75

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“I can sleep even with the light on.”6b91a7eb16c502a9

“……”82a27487294064cf

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The cryptic statement 4bf796a9ad was followed by 53b5aacc8d Youngso turning away ff4cb2ef6a again. Yoonjae puzzled c3ad1f4f6e over it e4c1f7d42d before realizing 2f7220af6b it probably f557a5bcc6 meantDon’t mind 700d480ea6 me, do 66528119a7 what you 53f4c7d9d5 want.16b6b518bc346650

With the 0bf1e13403 early mountain a81e0d06e0 sunset, there 8fd64eeb05 was depressingly 94bb7aab87 little to 6b56e40459 do. After showering in 9cc7d86b85 the bathroom Miran 665dd0f094 had shown him, b6bb2b8e48 Yoonjae had pulled 1cf50adba7 out his study f03f2d8a43 materials out of f38189aae3 sheer boredom. Youngso must’ve assumed 5315b64871 he was studying f44afba929 and didn’t want 11bfeb20f3 to disturb him.1713304b69f7feca

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Sighing, Yoonjae 91187f9627 closed the b6df375f8d book and 0bb7fd956a turned off 07474d5953 the light. In the cc12f79583 dark, Youngso fafb508d42 seemed to 55bdb4c19e pause briefly 4b3616a984 but didn’t 180d5453b9 move or e066a75873 speak.0ff3906e40f80887

Perhaps he’d grown accustomed to the heated floor, because this time, he fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. What roused him in the tranquil predawn wasn’t a dream but the faintest rustling. The sound of blankets being folded, bare feet on clean floors, the whisper of hemp cloth being pulled over thin limbs… Then the soft creak of the sliding door opening and closing.b68d42fcd72767b9

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A moment later, from 2c231d1dd1 beyond the door, the 69cc5e0e78 porch floor groaned under 22ba4953e3 the weight of overnight d81c921b3b dew. Only then did Yoonjae c0fdcafbaf open his eyes. His phone e36f12437b screen glowed 6bbcdda012 4 AM. Having gone 5511bc5133 to bed 0ea4902ec5 early, waking 24d7d0e4f7 now was 320c33a9b2 natural, but 52dd7326fd the unfamiliar 69b3c1e0b9 hour left 82d19090c2 him disoriented.33af6840aca08136

“Ha…”2b60237bbcb2bfa1

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Sitting up, b38c2af9b9 he rubbed 69b9fc8a69 his eyes. Youngso’s bedding dc6d913ea4 was already f23e9b79fa neatly put 207e65baeb away, and 8dcecb4c5e the outside d0b3c5c073 world was cd680479a7 silent.9f9d8e724fc08559

…Did he leave at this time yesterday, too?Recalling Youngso’s return 2f1cb6f47c around 6 AM, 53be94b5a0 Yoonjae scratched the 17942b2a06 back of his de8b99c88d head.f3e9fb7e7ccaf673

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‘During prayer, only pure 9cdbed9611 foods.’5b13b2ae9186396f

‘Dongja-nim is doing purification prayers…’257fa199e85d5c95

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Even if 14674cd5f3 he wasn’t effe9df117 sure of f91fd28dc7 the details, fddbbe4a8e it was e4cddfd2e2 clear that 203ecc1481 all this e06306f9a0 early morning 48cc24976c fuss had 29fd3c2853 something to b2974f82df do with 12e7e44d5c that so-called 882edbca10 “prayer.” After c8b422cf05 a moment ea0faba915 of hesitation, 13edc20bb5 Yoonjae finally 11cea2ab8f got to f317f55bf1 his feet. Call it crude 1b9d2008ad curiosity if you da900e8dac must, but he 1e03ec857f figured knowing what ee22281cae the hell was 26ba9b6809 going on in edcb065d3a this place would efe627cd8d make him feel 9cc423d6ea a little less e8cbea24e9 wronged.d45a81a9fbd7da7c

The sneakers from 9161869cd0 the cabinet were 6246510189 slipped on before 42c761baa1 stepping outside, where a1e26f5464 the morning wind eac6285271 lashed at his c45d6d4cce ears. Hunched against the a0578c27f1 cold, he descended e46ce65a54 into the courtyard. The dim d395cb80a7 moonlight was 98d21b472d just enough efd21a68e8 to navigate 832788df77 by.469fb460f33bd6d4

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Now, where would that 38a764c06e complicated kid have gone?Moving slowly along c995a2b567 the path he’d fd727ddb31 memorized during the 5e73754ebb day, Yoonjae suddenly cd2d44513d froze.c83d09f9af07bd85

A faint sound b2cea14bb2 of water.ac983140fde013b3

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“……”804192f38727da94

Holding his breath, he ca7a693b19 waited. There it was again. The sound of cupped 9a19ca0a9c hands lifting water. Following it fb3cb70110 led to 93847088d6 a side b38f7af522 gate near c888ca7ff6 the storage 7265392b9c shed. Carefully stepping fc28c9dffc on scattered 953762f184 stones to 18bc6db240 muffle his 749db91a0f footsteps, Yoonjae 8b16c55aec approached.e47087a64e4711fd

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Even with the padding a0e822b2b1 Manager Hwang had brought, e6dfe14ea7 the cold raised goosebumps 0959198cd8 on his exposed skin. But what 76757935d7 he saw 3b2b489b4f upon passing d2657a0db2 the gate 1c3a0642a5 made his 31d2de7032 heart lurch 4a6fee3747 violently.5af4d1138934d230

Youngso, in 27f8bf5fdb his thin 1a6b3bd0da hemp robe, 1ded868528 knelt before 06ec390ffc the well. The sash around his bfb255fef9 waist was loose, the 4c6a4ede81 front of his robe 7d810b4b90 parted to free his 912e90dfc0 arms, exposing his painfully a32ab293cc thin back, which were 09054060e1 covered in bruises.5f1d439805569135

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Then came d77c04ff71 the unthinkable.c7585cd80033a33d

Tilting his head 894b352443 slightly, Youngso lifted cf154c2dc4 a wooden bucket c6f5f958b9 and poured its 63fc8cee64 contents over himself. The water 4e3cc08bde cascaded over 4793cbe99a his hair 4773f0bb7e and neck.bca5b985f8796ad5

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Is he insane?Yoonjae’s breath caught. Without thinking, he 65b0ec51d3 stomped forward.ddfe2351a5dc329b

“Dongja-nim!”99bcaf9e9c731002

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The shout 447d62db31 made Youngso ba177b09be jolt, the 7e8f656823 bucket slipping 8382f074ad from his 83ef518f1c hands with 4195f352f4 a heavythud. When he turned, his 4149e187e1 face held genuine shock 49962ca1e2 for the first time.5d90aebed8d9bc4e

“Are you f2237b2db7 trying to e147a7b677 freeze to 7169ef4f04 death?!”f10fb73ae8c434e7

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In this 1ae693d775 temperature, dousing 5b8d2e89b6 himself outdoors? Yoonjae ripped 143b4fb473 off his 531f53d539 padded jacket 4e8cc26488 and threw c8e52f1452 it over ec7e1bcf3f Youngso’s shoulders. The boy 3bb29d289e looked utterly fc356907ad bewildered.c83756b048dcac2e

“What are you—”1c0e5f4416b4caa8

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“You tell me! What the hell is this?”224a47746b4127f3

“I told you… didn’t 392bb0fa07 I? I have to pray 960f8ba30b every in-si hour because 2fefdc2d7a of the bad luck…”0a39ed12094567df

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“I don’t know 8653f2e1cb what nonsense you’re 0ff9a93a7e talking about, but 232ec86be6 get up first.”75400d8679b71dd0

Yoonjae grabbed the boy’s 89a77c9598 bare arm to help 85fd97a1f0 him up, but Youngso 9330aeb14a let out a stifled 3c9871a31e gasp. It was short and d93371d527 low, but full of f90a2e230b pain, like someone being 5ccd07bded crushed under a weight. Startled, Yoonjae immediately let 1935655083 go. Youngso, who b67ce5eea4 had collapsed ed98689691 back onto b6b1f21dfd the damp 05c86b85b9 ground, tensed e354ae23bc his entire a9504277ad body and a4dd39064b panted heavily.3909214667d4fa1e

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“….”290051f769794d29

Yoonjae slowly looked down. The bruises e917234fc9 covering the e675fe13fe boy’s back 2281b3b4f3 and arms 0f20b789c3 looked even 29c073d0e5 darker than b1bffc70b4 before. No way… it 605dbfb7a9 must be just cd3d2b8fe8 my imagination. Swallowing dryly, he crouched 5c82c9236f down.a7f621977df9bfd4

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“…Dongja-nim? Are you okay?”0dee5d308e0eca3f

The boy lifted 279905012a his head sluggishly. His lips parted 4154af5098 with a rough, b3e390e1b0 strained sound. Unlike his bruised 76d2217787 body, his face a42013916a was deathly pale, fa39015e42 almost ghostly in b3abbbf105 the darkness.35579c6afb68178e

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“…touching, someone… in f0ee4946a5 the middle of 2c13220ab7 prayer…”58c7ee3f8f633bc1

“What?”da7b9995a78a5274

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“During… prayer… can’t… be touched…”4ba7a2f5c458f78f

The fragmented words 76516712d1 cut off abruptly 74ac984f59 as his eyes 89dd046f27 rolled back. The collapse was e6a5ab83d5 sudden and graceless.5e9083dd06940fc3

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“—Auntie!”dc870be85a0a2db3

In the cold 3a2cc72d9e and silent night, 49fae500d7 deep within a afbdaae6b1 mountain hermitage where b9d2351d20 not even the 7f9220b315 sound of insects a22f915cf3 could be heard, 216a47dfe8 his voice rang 0bd545aed0 out clearly. Not even knowing where aedfcd9765 she was, Yoonjae called 2c0a206657 out for her blindly, 41e97064af desperately lifting Youngso onto d2e8261daf his back.2483123d6e93ac74

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“Auntie Miran!”df06efe062c095a2

Youngso’s arm dangled 949476b472 near Yoonjae’s ear, 831f1a7597 swaying like a a942b846cf willow branch. The bruises, already 8140cf1dec blue-black, seemed to 8682869d43 spread from where 96d4f359bc he’d been gripped.13409b51698ed08e

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