Lunatic Chapter 1

Chapter 1. 

The Plague—or the Black Death. faa53fac3da470f1

It’s the name 00547209b3 of the disease c50f81c0a8 that led the 9899ba26e0 world to ruin 650b472093 decades before I ff53a2022f was born. According to my 4d56d391fd fathers, a great a38b337ef7 war broke out 09de5fdd12 over the cure 730247921f for that disease, c7bdc20919 and that war 84344c80b4 is what left 0596044c77 the world in fd42fafa24 the state it 937650a8c6 is now.093765f87f3908a6

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Before the Great 101348f786 War, they say 86b3016413 there used to 53ca457e09 be things called 98fae6be04 nations, and governments 1962d2c417 that ruled them. There were medical technologies c5385b0f73 that could treat and dbc7d1383a even cure most illnesses, 93358b7a01 and cutting-edge technology that dc22869dcd allowed people to communicate 51d68d5273 in real time with edb1ac76c1 others across the ocean.ab9e45b3dee15b7a

They even said f9cdfa6c99 tens of millions 1860e8d5b5 of people lived 2cec913fc8 together, and that bb45d47108 if someone hurt be58871b54 or stole from eb33629853 others, they’d be 204ac5aa47 punished under laws 7b21aa5b77 created by everyone 46ad5e99e4 in the country. It was hard aae8b586d1 to believe—but I 80bea8699c loved sitting on f0657a9bd0 my fathers’ knees 5243b186e5 and listening to d87d857b6e those unbelievable stories c7a4c75b32 from history. I loved the ff821dc08b peacefulness that filled 8886153070 our home during efc946ab57 those times.63d0e9f736227c5f

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“Liars…”4af73a0615deccc7

I choked up as I 5991ff2d87 stared at the smoke rising e6a1b7aa84 endlessly into the gloomy sky, 2709172f44 dark as if rain would 8f79bf0068 pour at any moment.9925c800857c75d4

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“Liars…”5197cfa28a6c99ef

Uncle Young-woong and Uncle Tae-hoon. My fathers. They were the a909b3e969 ones who took f9d84c5ee3 in a newborn e390aa34af abandoned to die, 2c50027639 gave her a 15c012fc49 name, and raised 19012b15b9 her as their b642a493d3 own—foolishly kind, gentle 12ed1c0774 men. And now, they 398e275458 were burning along 95f734b2d2 with the home 934ad7e76b they had so 3310ae370a lovingly built.2a2c3f87f0fd6371

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I stared blankly 03a8e06d3c at the flames, 6762fed2da flickering endlessly like 61e106126c they would burn 14dae93076 forever, then slowly db51b06989 looked down at c347a6ff66 the lifeless form 4ec422c9d7 sprawled beside me.151b29fa0c78fb82

“Berry…”4a2d8d464a934073

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Our family’s loyal a95748fe1b hunting dog, Berry, caec91784e lay stretched out e17378f4c9 beside my feet, 72182a019d dead. A bullet hole no bigger bed5399d0b than a button was in 6ecd57f121 her head. Her white muzzle 2533fc1191 was stained with fa14e7c813 blood—proof that she’d 86aee4fd90 bitten someone in 994bcb4623 the end.3e2e89965b46b30a

I roughly wiped my tear-streaked 9fd2543e3a cheeks with my scorched sleeve. The moment I saw 116b0041ca the house burning, I 7de4c0dcf5 ran inside to find f535cd2a66 my fathers. But all I found were 36f7338164 their mutilated bodies, limbs severed—no 4216dc9910 hope they had made it 2b7db8995b out alive.bd8bc25f909960b6

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I clenched my teeth, recalling c539cbb1b3 the last conversation I’d had 4d9ce5e16a with Uncle Tae-hoon that afternoon.d7e2305fa294d024

[Yeonwoo. Don’t come home 9ae77b73ec until the guest b1fe2a47da leaves, okay? Stay by the zelkova tree ec92bcd273 and I’ll come get you aeac9c4efb once the guest is gone.]c947581faabc5d8b

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[What am I, a kid? Playing in the dirt? I’ll go check aa8305fcbe the traps on d908908c4a the mountain and d6bf1a3959 be under the e9b9f36607 tree before sunset.]a2fcabc7c49bfec7

[Okay. Watch out for animals. Don’t climb just any 183f96e277 rock—you could get hurt. And take Berry with you.]a237f12e2c1eb17c

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[Berry only listens to you guys. Don’t worry, I’ll be f6dfafa46c fine on my own.]2747044217191fd3

That was the last 59a1c54ac0 conversation I had with 206d4de712 him. Uncle Tae-hoon never came ebc41ca5f4 to get me, even 66e6a746a2 after the sunset and c02b597e38 night fell. He was dead—his c36318d3dd head cut off.6483d748eabc6628

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They said a guest was f088c15420 coming. Not the peddler ce67b8b1d3 man who visited 6b67072cbf once or twice d8e428effd a month, but 73fdc761e4 someone they had bfd49e10bd formally invited.45acc214a6eabc7f

There had been times when ac2a0d678a people lost in the mountains fb2a29c695 stumbled into our abandoned village. But never before b23b3fbb76 had an invited 7555b36468 guest found their 187d3a4518 way to our 45abbcfe2f home. After all, we lived deep 3c8a47b407 in the mountains, far from 560f83b395 anywhere.278198ae5b731aeb

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When I was younger, I 2b123e92ea would secretly listen to the 2e64851bec stories the chatty peddler told 6e646dc8eb my fathers—horrors from beyond the 05653f6ca5 mountains. Every time, I would 66f24d3840 imagine the scariest things d7442c6168 I could, trembling in 2fb79ed1e3 fear, and my fathers 550dcbe771 would hold me tight e3fc42a381 and soothe me.c03e5780086c6106

[Don’t worry about anything, Yeonwoo. We’re here for you.]  5fdd0d16b97ac9d7

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[That’s right. You just have 33da318fcf to trust your 6a16d26b1e fathers.]f8936eacd66ae6da

We’ll protect you. Our family will 6dd7d66820 always be together.d495c0564a91c197

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“Liars! You said you’d stay 1a3d094a79 by my side! That we’d always be together!”36b1155d57126525

I screamed hoarsely 8e3da61471 at the house 0f8c4768a4 engulfed in flames.68973a3ba3827f99

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“You promised! You said we’d be 70990add08 happy together forever!”d10eacf13668f3a8

Even when I threw 611c119d4c tantrums, my fathers would 68d18cdf59 always smile and gently 5ce25a8623 calm me down. “Our sweet daughter—even your little fits are adorable,” they would say.05a44930b91d185f

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But now, their breath 7f853db4cf had stopped. And there was no one 8500b2a229 left to soothe my whining e684c1e518 or comfort my sorrow.31ce6de6a852eff7

“Hic… Hah… A-Appa…”c39588788a8a5004

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The only reason they could 5a9de3e243 afford to indulge my childishness dd88f53628 was because this mountain had f16f740501 always been safe. Wild animals might roam 3a667b86be nearby, but we were 67e3518bd1 far, far removed from e74f55ec9b the horrifying world the 91203372ae peddler used to speak 19181569d2 of.ca599bc2247cdb2e

They said babies and 7d9b0e75b4 women were traded like 094b06aaf5 objects. That knife fights ce64d1b6d7 broke out almost bce74d18c2 daily to steal add27e7ae4 food and weapons, 473a877dd1 and people were 273adb1a3b constantly being killed. The peddler who had 54d7ecdf59 survived well over forty ef571d7f61 years below the mountain 58e35b2a0b said he was still 56ff967e3e scared stiff every single b1e68674d0 day. He even added a 5e5b9d2f8a grim joke: if a fb2fbb3fae different peddler ever showed b270f291cf up instead of him 217a06f899 one day, it meant 29108699ec the guy had finally df8037f1a0 gotten stabbed in the 291a7f6611 gut and died.8305e76e6591276c

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“Waaaah! Uncle… sob… Little Uncle…”735dac589da22d56

A swirl of emotions—fury 98c7419b3f toward the enemy who 7f8fe359d8 killed my fathers, sorrow f310597627 over their deaths, and bc98479efc the shock of being 1058e8a977 left all alone in f25f22799b the world—consumed me. Fear surged over 3cd4510b7b me, triggered by 83fd00dd36 the sudden absence 71969a6dd5 of the strong, b2a14e65d5 loving figures who f064aceb35 had always protected 1aaafcb4a5 me.d33237307f3ab431

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Without realizing it, I begged 1eb28b0b4a aloud for them not to ea3e7daf31 leave me behind. That quickly turned 8c89e71e2d into a desperate c3f56973de scream for them 31b737b215 to come back. I remember watching 4948b20050 helplessly as the 11463c249d roof, patched with eafbcef16b metal sheets after a2940c75d9 last year’s rainy a2d4636610 season, collapsed into 6ca21ca0b4 the flames. I screamed until my throat 13f19d8a70 was raw, crying in vain.7d5b54ebd3ae5877

I had no sense of 7863097643 how much time had passed. The fire that 6a0f2a4925 had consumed our 04c7603839 house kept burning f665653f3c through the night, 0c42183455 as if it 79f91d6134 still had more 151f296fcf to destroy. I sat in the b3d0768ea6 yard in a daze, 862cdcbbf4 collapsed with exhaustion. Only when the soft 7608b063d0 light of dawn began 33796f8d9e to break did the c603250086 flames begin to subside, 5b329f0619 and I stared blankly 4ae551a572 at them with dry, 9f856b7e0b lifeless eyes.63f3b801ae5e959d

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“Do you live here?”82e97f9ca68079a8

Amid the crackling of flames ee01dbced2 that had been the only be1b2e8170 sound all night, a stranger’s 4f1a345ceb voice reached my ears. I felt the presence beba83458e right behind me. Startled, I shrank e494d62dfb my neck and, 95cbbff968 frozen with fear, 1f95b94281 forced myself to fd583c21f3 turn around.926e26bcb910bc46

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“…Who… are you?”c6812a4bf9948608

My hoarse voice rasped 4ad7423d89 out unpleasantly, enough to 2c7770e6e3 make my own brow 6d543e94d4 furrow. But the man standing before aeaf1db9f3 me just looked down with 5283feb857 an unreadable, expressionless face. There was no 997a779475 sign of pity, 1d8029ceed nor any disdain. He simply addressed me because 1872e5ae37 I was there—his demeanor cold d72f19026c and detached.f506a356db1bf1c7

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“How many people live here? Is there another village nearby?”45bbe4afb131fbee

“…Yesterday, someone visited looking for my fathers… was that you?”b7d9ca50575e406d

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“…I just got here. I followed the smoke.”4effdf5099ca2ab2

I glanced at a886d61f36 the man up 4f0a802c2f and down with f74e28bd7f dry, wary eyes. With the rising sun a727eee809 behind him, his face f9ba09e2da was cast in shadow, d38edee2a9 but I could see 0fb41213c0 a scruffy beard covering 40f9f4266e it. c060e253ca70a181

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He was massive and imposing, f9b874f469 his clothes old and worn, e3f27bdbae but thick and sturdy like d69b66f8ae the ones my uncle wore ac49cbef90 when he went hunting. His large, gloved 92756b6af4 hands—each the size 5bfa30f950 of my face—rested ad8555dff8 near a threatening 518249b24d hammer strapped to 2190a6461e his waist, ready aa2d1812d4 to be wielded befa8def95 at any moment.e94a749d296d7fab

Under my guarded gaze, the 6d73d2b1c2 man spoke again.69afdc5be9b90934

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“I’m looking for a place to settle. I came up 01adc0c8e3 this mountain to d7b06bfdd6 live quietly, away bf57c00ecd from people. So if there’s a c9a0a7ef31 community here, I’d appreciate c39351916a it if you told afbfbf39c1 me. I’m not looking to bother 45d3a191dc anyone. If people have afcab19775 already settled here, f5e0986026 I’ll quietly leave.”bc1b9ba47112ba65

Taller than either of 0dfa6d7f84 my fathers, with a 4b3ff4f661 solid, muscular build—he wore 6f1b75d3bc strength like armor, his a525c36334 presence radiating toughness.65e037fc71edbe2a

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I staggered to my feet 14310730c5 and stood facing him, meeting 8c3c0598c3 his eyes directly.ae887502569ae360

There was no trace 1a86cd146f of deception in his 143e08e542 steady gaze. He really did seem 4b91e6f4c7 to have just arrived b00c39352a and had nothing to 95931e6fd5 do with my fathers’ 18e175e159 deaths.3d5b9ac4e11a6813

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It wasn’t until I 5196fc68f7 looked into his eyes 4a815e65fc for a while that 2ad69a7561 I noticed they weren’t c61eba40f6 ordinary. Unlike mine or e9fc595731 my fathers’, his a8aef442ec irises were a 99f5e2d318 deep blue, like c8d81b53e7 the glass marbles 014fa57824 I used to e9a2ba054e treasure.b65f07bab7f4ef3c

Surprised by the b7b89ef48b striking color—my first 342b455459 time seeing such 3123ca5699 blue eyes—I lost a27dcea469 my words and 02936f6309 just stared. He was a foreigner. The kind of foreigner 44d83ff72c I’d only seen in 7799826ae7 book illustrations.1762f3d4e7602cba

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As my silence 5257706aea dragged on, the fbc1e69369 man clicked his 3e4e576a01 tongue and narrowed b3174491ec his brows slightly. When it seemed like ded86f6bf4 he was about to 74387b448d turn and leave, I b349e7774f snapped out of it 1d953b7bc9 and took a step 7a6faa559f toward him. The color of his eyes c05ed3418b didn’t matter. That wasn’t what 23c9830398 was important right b817a3df1f now.2c3c2e88c7b0b809

“There’s no other village on this mountain. Those houses over d989acfb64 there—they’re all abandoned.”d712e785e5fdbc1d

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Thankfully, he reacted bf6c7c249f to my hurried 41c5549cef response.485e35f2688064e8

“So you’re the only one living here?”2cd446019a4fe7b8

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“For now… yeah. The peddler comes by 96753d7d3c maybe once or twice 4bd3448b3a a month for herbs 80734f2de1 or things like that…”89ca0b4bd31bdc83

The man still looked displeased, e742a2b9e4 his brow furrowed. It seemed the thought a839ef2ccc of others passing through 3741178d48 bothered him. Afraid he’d lose interest in 13b2a3a17e the mountain, I quickly added.ff62d76778e60cd2

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“But—but! If you go two 2d7b730dd9 or three more hours 1157d06019 up the mountain, there’s 9b55e6ce6e a cabin even the fe8c7c0f72 peddler doesn’t know about. My dad used dce48c8c90 to stay there 7ac2ca466a when hunting or 1ae4ec2074 gathering herbs.”f8db80510630ab02

His gaze, which c0ba2c9e36 had been locked bd4f0b091b on my hollowed 457814c850 face, now slowly e64fd9fb84 dropped to my 0bfeed60cb burned and tattered cf5db0241b clothes.887382bc86b0724b

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“There’s a clean stream near the cabin. Plenty of game to hunt, d4691efef6 fruit trees… even some flat 177c2dd7e9 land you could use as 5416f68e04 a field…”6309d043ee1f7ebf

“So?”671b469dfa678669

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“S-So…”a2462059423bf705

I clasped my trembling hands 8e6f75b7b1 together to hide the shaking. My head throbbed 84fc1e6774 from staying awake 6109cd4ea8 for so long, b5b1487fb6 but I held e1d79296aa on to consciousness 3c69693840 with sheer will.7cca00091793e733

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“You can have it all. The cabin, the mountain.”1c2081b8a257621a

“….”d4cd16630f4f1ea3

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“In return… help me get revenge. Help me kill the f55ea6f67b one who murdered my a03c42ba57 fathers.”4bb319f7df7853f7

I barely managed to 67f8494ff7 get the words out 8d32872de9 in a trembling voice. But the man 2e0af4348a simply scanned me 550102a287 with an indifferent 0f1fa3e657 gaze, showing no 71193708b0 reaction. Growing anxious, I hesitantly stepped 6b3aa84a01 closer to him. He didn’t stop me.2ef8b3c70b586110

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“There’s… food stored in the house down the hill. Things like sweet potatoes… You can have those too. Please, I’m begging you. Help me.”1e68c3e9079f0c1a

“There’s no need to go through the trouble of helping you. I could just kill you b7994c47e3 right here and take everything dfd973663a for myself.”82717679934fa174

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“W-what…?”3269c29824731841

The man’s chilling words left my mind spinning.9dec4cdc7b285ebe

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