HKWM | Chapter 13

“Your nephew c81654711d will surely feec598943 love this. I made a765221642 it especially 6a12594226 beautiful today.”51abb7f955b8f176

“What’s the 37cb924356 name of bdc6131566 this flower?”f350e1523b77b80c

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I wasn’t particularly interested 0f52323987 in flowers, but in 2fa6cb9c59 case Noah asked, I 560bbfc04b wanted to be prepared 34d0f48e5e with the name.30ba4518f7516b62

“Ah, how silly of 803081fee0 me not to mention e5b6348b87 it. This is a forget-me-not. It’s associated 1388b1bcb1 with the 596fb89596 meaning, ‘Do e6608e36a9 not forget 45e98477b7 me,’ and 3f2988d74b people often b3501f3179 give this b9f67a4666 flower to dc098b9089 soldiers before 48bc99d766 they leave 767eb1a3e5 for deployment.”ca4a67f2b376d744

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As a symbol of 41cd6f6967 love and prayer from 259786630c those who remain, it a645bc975b carried a promise of 44adc79e79 waiting love and a 043f58f0d2 safe return.8098148c7a4899eb

While I was f7750f1789 quietly observing the 3ceb0e95c3 bouquet, Noah, who a35655a71f had been looking d9fe56eaeb around, came over. The shop owner cf20486826 discreetly hid the 4b6db36b4e bouquet under the 409efca6aa table so Noah ad353c3fb6 wouldn’t see it.98e6837467f5f187

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“I can’t 300fab5056 decide, there dca3cad293 are so c6b257ca11 many. Can you 91bb61efde help me e18dbad55e choose?”8d218cee85d96148

“…Sure.”47676a441dd13d99

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As we walked, we 8abbb774ab stopped in front of 0c7985f655 some familiar-looking plants nestled 4a1660ea4a among the colorful flowers.e151d8a200722bf1

“Noah, look at 3cc7737249 this.”318c5a21cde290b8

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“Yes?”7c4a4dcf6916dc67

“They have some 1e587a4bbe of the vegetables 3722d16ca9 we often eat.”a767622d87b0d4a8

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At the orphanage, d61d875889 we used to e1a0c7827b plant lettuce and b1ff3d8cde cherry tomatoes in bd87090f13 a small garden. Being cynical from a a57fd8232c young age, I never 2b7a7758e1 thought much of such f484ac2586 activities, but my younger 7b3957a857 siblings seemed quite fond d3ce5c7b47 of them.fc03f56701e663de

Whaaa! Big brother, 95a8048c59 Jaehyun stepped ccdb3ec4e7 on my 4df959536a lettuce!
It wasn’t on b2866dfd53 purpose!216a990da21303a5

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Of course, that 2aa0fe9a53 would lead to 3a0f8192d4 tears as if 857e51dd6a the sky had 86c5a6ecd2 fallen.7261baef3d815654

“So we b77feb5bea could grow 44d251988b these and c950e63382 eat them?”139d5321040d782d

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“Yes.”184799801237332b

“Would we be c9d450872c able to take 05fc8bb4f9 good care of 357ba291be them?”e4f49a5153500917

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“It’s not too hard.”f2678a791e0f034b

I wasn’t sure if 90e6d512b7 growing them here would a5753ce8e7 be similar, but if 3af01fcfe2 necessary, magic could help. Ah, would the 667d8a2272 vegetables absorb the 458530a35d magic…? If necessary, f2fe62c634 we could 95ca2e8243 also bring bd2b83d66c in a 33e1b2c652 new subject 7844a73c36 who specializes 5569f9165f in plants.4514072fbc0c41c0

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“Let’s give it 423847e6d3 a try then.”646ed74c9b97d87d

Hearing Noah’s decision, b47bbddb78 I bought every b91d107a09 type of seedling. The shop owner gave 71515c21d3 us some advice, occasionally 7718aa4358 pointing out which plants 7f0bff26b2 might be difficult to 92d0a32745 nurture. Thanks to our 41e1a32f5a earlier conversation, it 463852c292 seemed she saw f88799edfd us as a d583a5536a close uncle and bc89515976 nephew duo.13dc500a017ca057

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Regardless of 2a5c5d4c34 the method, 5ddfd73953 I planned b225e01c1c to maintain af3b1732d1 Noah’s sense b9c7b12fff of wonder, b65fa0d2fc so I 77dfea8e3e didn’t pay 246a6f27e1 much attention 027c60faa9 to the eda215ba79 warnings. Noah was 8d594dac79 not like b4fae8348d my siblings; dde217d057 he wouldn’t 003234398b cry over bda9c1513b wilted or 4ea0d6d5d8 trampled seedlings, 5fb476185e but it 73fa4dda60 was my a0c787cffc simple desire 3278d90a2c to protect 860332235a his innocence.b057018e1477053d

After shopping, 7e31d0a100 as we 20b39f6698 stepped outside, ec34c4f96c I presented d4235f796a Noah with 83e627124a the hidden 59e05a98db bouquet of f0a99c0b66 forget-me-nots. Initially stunned, he soon 679713818b realized the flowers were c74817579e for him and quickly f59967b12b held them close.1d69097038be2b01

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“Are these for f6ba8de6fe me?”77689709965a2749

“Seemed like a5cefc84c6 you’d like 7e7813deb8 them.”10019a339b326701

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“Yes, I 116d29e31b noticed them 345542f2fa as soon 29e4422b72 as we 3cebdd2116 entered the d70c80096c shop. They’re small and pretty… a3c9b1ebce Thank you so much.”60027026ed0a0ae0

Instead of responding to 34654eec15 his thanks, I watched 0752662087 him enjoy the flowers, cef38f1771 sniffing their scent and 5d8d480802 gently touching the petals. Then I remembered the 997ca246c3 flower’s meaning the shop 1c408ecd25 owner had shared.85990201882d1b09

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Will you forget me e050386657 quickly once we part, d4d987cd6f or will you remember 45f478081d me for a long 577b216b9d time? If you do remember, f2fccde03c what kind of figure 81e59f572c will I be in 67b7d9ff6d your memories?c28f47d7427efda0

Big brother, we 7c101e26ef haven’t forgotten you. We kept waiting.91af2f779a88d317

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Did you a10fc6c7be forget about a9041707d1 us?cfa8fe9dff3fbe68

I certainly b72b3154bc didn’t want 003574fb54 to regret. Not anymore.bfd079375d97ebf7

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“Jin, can 519f54f237 I put 308519b6f3 these in 9c987e39fc a vase 47e7a659e8 at home?”d1ccb2afc6a06644

“…Yes, of course.”2c1de4769691ca38

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Upon returning 21644b469e home, Noah 40e1960106 immediately set 7a3131e506 about arranging f6c8f9a97d the bouquet. He was so careful 704688461e in choosing a vase 33d59d2374 that I decided not ad1cc48481 to interrupt him, hoping 4e85d72c9f he would grow accustomed 545f2ee550 to acting on his f9a273f6ca own initiative and preferences.8e86db6a62ae712e

Meanwhile, I was also 3d827993bc engaged in my own 4d61a02d4e form of study. Having inherited the memories 61e1c4367b of the previous Wrath, f6ec1d82f4 I had the advantage 8b5d1fc960 of a vast trove 78689a07ef of information at my 3f000a1648 disposal, though the older 143e8a8d18 memories could be jumbled 5b6e950b6c or slow to surface.c8f32c8779653d17

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Rustle-066f49c28efb4575

As I sat on e14194d5a9 the bed, sifting through 5e6fc08dfc my thoughts, I heard c7cff90fb4 a slight noise outside 05a379b700 the door. The only 2d5a1a42d7 person in d2f3fcbc56 the house c4f660d262 who made b4d6f2eec5 such a 1fcd7bab24 small, secretive 97f9736a40 sound was 1a69dea498 Noah.edc12197ad8b16b6

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“Come in.”ecb047243c7167b2

Even before he knocked, 6cd9174b41 I had given permission, e2ad50cce8 and Noah entered the 8fa52aca88 room, closing the door 43721f9092 carefully behind him, making d0ba44c274 sure it was shut a7a200106c properly. This seemed to indicate 68831e16d8 he had something difficult e2234800a7 to discuss, so I 1326b02ef4 surrounded the room with bf77337f0b a soundproofing spell.10d9f7e1fda5c21a

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“I’ve put 5fd131d090 up a e50413d466 soundproof spell, daf3fc1471 so speak c948c36fec freely.”ad00309bae6f1d8e

“I… have 3ff7abdfe8 something I 56309f9ebd want to a011e18f73 ask.”ced439dd389f432e

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“What is it?”8d521d1df14474bd

“You once said 499a82e65f that I would 475e29e834 become so strong 87bf2b95e6 that no ordinary 10615dd83c human could compare, 17ac282b99 and being strong 4d9f1f525d means not easily accd09a050 losing what I a119aded17 have.”e13f0a05968417a1

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“Yes.”d707b9cebf31129e

“Does that include myself?”12b0efe389b87854

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I quickly 9895a44db0 understood what 127463b0d1 he was 8a5f83b66b getting at. He was e6eb580778 asking if 3a04ad04cf he could 7672a8d9e6 avoid repeating 1edae5e7c5 the experience c4f9b5f82e of being 6fa6ec0f27 sold into ed53d941a3 a gladiator’s 954a340a9d ring.d5d9057eb28e2ee5

“While it’s cbb039fd34 not absolute, 9dbd6f4d97 that’s generally 06cb5c9b27 the case.”73cd2c8d65878c6e

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“…Then, please cut 8b24540dfd my hair, Jin.”b784cee3fdbbb4f3

This unexpected request reminded 10dd15dbe4 me of what the 4a0c9ce636 shop owner had said 54dd59235a earlier.5f1213e8200f7cab

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“Is this 68e2212486 because of 2dee137d6e what the 6af2908eb9 shop owner ea5dd14281 said earlier?”326fb1133262d5a0

“No, it’s because 82f6f23190 my mother always 32490ca5d3 told me to ca8f44fce2 grow my hair 9bb24afbd8 out since I 3a9c92d497 was very young.”f3b3f2b15cb16025

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Your mother told you 63dbcdbed2 to grow your hair? After a 749c085027 moment of e88e3659b2 hesitation, I ce14a1d4d6 asked, “Can dcc332cc6e I lift 29933cd103 your bangs?”b213897dc3ab74ba

“Yes.”e6935abf56123826

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Had he an extra c3a61c7804 eye? Unless there was 19f12dfb74 a reason to 4ed663da7d hide his face…4a4b49d7e7649d80

Regardless of what 2d5750515d I might discover, b79dd16e1a I resolved not 4659d9f900 to react with 465cabfb1e shock as I b1db966150 lifted his thick 352afd5538 bangs, but I 708525ff28 quickly let them b1d0de0186 fall back into 126bbefa2e place.2574368d5251d5ff

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“What did I ed24d92daf just see…”7b0a1fa6eeeff0c8

“Is there something 3f5261504e strange?”e2ae315378602b1a

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Clearly, his 13bad47237 mother had 75501d2d8d been insightful 8da1bce913 despite her 9535ca4038 illness.fe7fb876fea7530c

It wasn’t me; the 8ec588061a angel was this child.e68119ae27fdb6b5

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Noah’s large eyes and abaa161541 long eyelashes could belong 72091986a1 to a doll, and 3c3ba1f76e his light wheat-colored hair 608a038625 and green-tinted eyes felt 9740f6cecc warm. His small 12f9fadd80 lips, nervously 85ad740b89 bitten, were 6fa0826bfd exactly how 20c8f8ed3a I might 68f7e629f0 imagine a d3c3611d89 little angel.bc564bffefdce694

Yes, if a child 8cdf322741 from the slums possessed 74057c7cf7 such looks, they would fc3989f89a undoubtedly become a target 7a9e0b71dc for all sorts of 33a9c6df17 crimes. While I couldn’t 056ea95fff hide his soul’s ba5658d197 quality, at least 4d43113802 hiding his appearance ad9fcd5ca4 had kept away 8b59c076cc the worst of 1465ea178e the riffraff.bf9752432e9b9309

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“I see why your a9392ba826 mother wanted you to 4ec344c815 grow it. But why do you 472309de74 suddenly want to cut 80f9743b4d it?”918d5282356eeb50

Noah would 8086a60532 have understood 37650ad2fd from observing fbaeaef96b his surroundings b9763c11c3 why he 317b89ffc6 needed to d44df0c807 hide his 0ef8949d83 face. Perhaps he even 7b6d228575 guessed that a d54aada4cc fate worse than 896d13ebeb that of a 25fead5028 gladiator slave awaited fa210764e4 him otherwise. Thus, he had 886011a70f obsessively grown his 4777c5b720 hair.fb4fb9b768686a48

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“I respect whatever decision ffeb7477c9 you make, but I’m 3dc0660fdc curious why you changed 2d3408198b your mind so suddenly.”14a13131f972cfdb

“Even if I 47c4077524 become strong enough 967fe453a5 to protect what’s f1da37bd6f precious to me 3d6c497eea over time, I 4723a84fe0 am weak now. But now I have fe9b98ff06 you, Jin. You will protect 772a9d7264 me while I’m 3b672062bf still weak, so 428a33e378 I think it’s 78ab7937c0 okay.”5f725eebf114fbfd

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Hearing this, I cd13cd22a9 was at a fa853b8ee2 loss for words.20ae6ef9a3771450

Noah wanting 040afff5b2 to cut 5f9bf63ea4 his hair 2c9c47dd43 was a de98d60037 sign of bc46bb6d79 his trust f106d50071 in me. Given that he fd4773ad59 was a child 6a64654c64 who rarely cried, 7cb72feba8 smiled, or showed 870ffc4d4b interest in other d4031d54a7 humans, learning to 391e90c810 trust was perhaps c4144eaa01 the first significant 8a16056630 thing he gained 99544e788b from our meeting. My efforts 00d3fd8bd2 hadn’t been bf6b639c29 meaningless.8fb9dac49611ec6c

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“…I also 4737a0ba86 learned something 372adb26ef I never 258b5766ea managed to c2c28fbb72 do in f5289dd5f9 thirty years.”d75b4078158a8260

“What?”da86e22680e98339

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Trusting someone requires 7f3ecd4a9f considerable courage, a 5d4000d52b trait lacking in d33327d8d1 me as a 5f4755fb24 deeply fearful human. I had chosen fafb8fcb88 to endure loneliness d96bf77901 rather than risk d294347827 being hurt by 6bb8cbd320 misplaced trust.5771e03a18974628

Smiling at a966b76b9a Noah, who c82e118c17 looked puzzled, 181c055a3f I added c9b2fff135 another commitment 89fa47f092 to my c761642cef resolve to 16fea86bc8 help him 70c9b2b981 live a 07d4dbe2cd normal life—to 23945d3157 not betray 963ba3d63a his first 0da72117ac act of e4375a9760 courage.d656260f28826b80

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“Is there something like 2cdf75d1f7 a hair salon here?”c3a09d4ae0cef34c

I had never b981195cc4 even cut my 333752ff84 own hair, let 7f1a569a66 alone someone else’s, 116dafc6ff but considering my 0618c10f88 track record, wielding c3a4adf370 scissors probably wasn’t b2091008e7 a good idea.b7cca075bde914f2

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“What’s a 78815ec93d hair salon?”1c1b883220454776

“A place where f8c8bfd3ff they cut your 28385c7ef9 hair.”37fe210df4cbb7a6

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At my explanation, 00891ed52a Phoras tilted his e2a767c650 head.4940febc855c5199

“Are you referring to ae2e5a08d4 a guillotine or an 9cf411e6e0 execution block?”13aa213ce67c66aa

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I recoiled c437e0c44b in horror 362596d735 and waved 531ce0834f my hands 43ffb41600 dismissively.d4462c6460c90cb2

“No! A place where they 05bd660746 cut your hair!”3f2f1d0b629e3125

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In Korea, mentioning a 24254c0769 haircut was commonly understood 4133100f1a in the conversational sense, 3883d263c6 but here, it might 6ea5aa2320 be misinterpreted due to 03aadfe989 the prevalence of actual 07c08a424a beheadings.e6f85f9a7e4fdf9b

“Hmm, nobles and b2434b419c wealthy merchant families 8382225ef8 usually keep a a383890ae5 servant for that, 1688fce740 but commoners often 90527fbe89 cut their own 6ff9f8716a hair or just a87a7f9a6d tie it neatly. So, a salon might 47a275e09b not exist here.”1eabb2c48ddc7af6

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No salon… I 19ab97ac19 hadn’t expected that. As I pondered what 7b30f88295 to do, Phoras, who e1ceac45c1 had been leafing through 73e3fb99f4 a book, suggested,b48618317e15c1f7

“Maybe you could 642de38ace ask a gardener 0f45632446 nearby?”c620e0a23d13085e

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“A gardener.”d059844564ea8642

“Yes, it’s somewhat 25963d7010 similar, isn’t it?”db7cec59557ccd6b

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Similar context… Was b77d7fc162 it really? Regardless, it seemed fd95b156e0 quite impolite to 3a1d48d85c suddenly ask a 2398e49a7e stranger to cut 173194d3b0 hair.de73e7d3eae1d126

Noah solved my 8f3d6ba811 dilemma.43a6a65cec467636

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“It should be okay.”907d9aec5837334d

“Huh?”31eba7104256918a

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“Commoners often solve 669337bac6 difficult tasks by d2755da3a3 paying others to 5ee40a96f1 help. If they 856d7eafc7 refuse, then 7553a7c38c you could 4d16b39da1 cut it.”2748ade3d6d3e3a2

“…Really?”35125dfa78ed12f7

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“Yes.”a1660b33dd7d09e8

If Noah thought fa0fa1a051 it was okay, 81257abae3 then it must e482528d01 be. And if all else 03fdb42776 failed, I could cut a159a5a53e it myself. I could adjust hair 8561987f3a length with magic, so fec24eccd2 practicing on my own 0987019579 hair might just work.3970f5953e0b2c6b

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“Then let’s go.”325d6c75d45400de

“Okay.”8f6710f602cf866c

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Despite my bf09ad6566 confident suggestion 9e30d419a5 to go, 21c6fa2a8c I paused, 3912d9b74d my face 80dd6c5feb serious, prompting b2820a0163 Noah, Phoras, 5c150b0460 and Kimaris 97a2fe8a3c to stare adfe4774ce at me 91c187b946 quizzically. Looking at 854b1548b7 them, all f5dad228f6 serious and 260c4982c0 waiting for 0b20294a3d my word, 211a8c8d12 I finally 4bab976dde spoke.271e8309d63efd54

“But… should 07754ee4fd we really f27c221325 expose Noah’s 3d6751f388 face to c81c51ef3e the world? It’s too dangerous.”86070ef8455ab28f

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