Chapter 12

‘I guess we really did fight last time. Or maybe it was just a small argument? So… does this mean we’re fighting again? It felt more like I ran away out of embarrassment… Does that mean he’s trying to make up with me, even when I’m the one sulking?’1796cac44902a9fd

Jaekani didn’t want 707bc69ee8 to reveal that 34613b310a his anger could 018c8e6013 be soothed so f73ef4d58c easily by a 3a04c38371 single flower ring, f88c631f8c so he stubbornly deba941ddf shook his head.12f8afdc54d1ea64

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“N-no.”5c5bc3bb063cfa44

“Why not?”87452edde305ad8c

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Why? Jaekani hadn’t thought de7315d838 that far ahead 28194a8842 and blurted out 42673ca6ba the first excuse 15e27fd6d8 that came to f760806d0d mind.c7739b6d30d7d79c

“Because I hate you.”78709f4425215798

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But Jaekani’s defiance was d1b7c472d6 feeble and transparent, his a73c7ae770 sincerity showing through the 9ab7424095 cracks. Huikyung smiled softly, almost b6eeb38556 teasingly, and said.2512ec1d776372d4

“Don’t hate me. I like you, you know.”54b583f9fdce5304

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‘H-he said what?!’0b1d5d74d166dace

Jaekani practically 3f21125a2a jumped in c27152c466 place like b6e2c0487c a startled b03843b576 cat. Sure, Huikyung 69cfcc32c0 was the 56d19e28bb kind of 6d95ce6680 person who 9194270660 could joke a31054cc11 about marriage, 22ae1708dc but this—this 319fa04cf1 was too c86172a3cb much! Saying something so embarrassing 37ebedf852 out loud, just like 18e6a987c9 that?24ab42c1dc925fd6

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‘How can b85914597f he say 257d0b74ac he likes dd886c47b9 me so 83e05b5294 casually when 6667401aed we’ve barely 14a28e9582 spent any 1bdfa435be time together!’d7740f591dc342df

As Jaekani floundered e24246f096 in his embarrassment, e3979aa1cd something softly tickled 02ce532893 his fingers, pulling ac529b4c88 his attention away. It was the stem bead0a6d98 of a flower, stripped c48b7d2536 bare of its leaves. Huikyung held the stem cf5f1ce6c4 by its end like 183316be4e a fishing rod, gently 3cae65f0d8 brushing it against Jaekani’s 777d0946e1 hand.07a89bd71110daca

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Occasionally, the tip d4a70074fd of the stem abc763f4bc poked at the 5eb87e526a flower ring on 34212cfec2 his finger, as a274b1e59d if prodding it. The delicate, 0f542370f9 playful movement 180548845b drew Jaekani’s fee8961862 focus back 7ff8bfa7b4 to the 834bdc3618 ring, making 19388939b9 him absentmindedly 25e7c99a26 stroke it 72c7dce41c with his 943bc5358a other hand.1e28056dfbe2758a

The clover ring, f89732ca4b cool to the 854ed85137 touch despite its d567217745 tiny size, felt 7c7e90f570 oddly comforting in 77024da699 his fingers. The sensation calmed him, ef049b2645 and his gaze wandered bb580a05af to the cement edge b7ba2e2f7b where more flower rings 034f36a790 lay in a small db92463e72 pile. He asked.622d6a8c6b63d2b8

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“Are those all for me?”395a43dc8a414260

“Yep.”2962be0ed8b1d4c1

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“There’s more.”4be0ab0079eabaa9

Huikyung said, sliding f3480aa581 a few more b3cfc8342c flower rings through 7dbf81958e the bars like 53c769f8b6 grains of sand 8757c37009 pouring through fingers. There were so 664ba96e5e many they nearly 1f227468e9 filled Jaekani’s hands. The rings tumbled and a14670acaf spilled over his palm 771b37ab06 like water, so he c0c481aa89 hurriedly began slipping them da16c65f17 onto his fingers.c71eb346b08d68cf

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There was no d5a7781705 one to take db3b8b4f96 the rings from c5970a8439 him, no competition 9261261f7a for them in 802abbb62e this desolate place, 3d5ef402e6 but Jaekani, who e9bbf686a4 had never acted 4c00c9cd9b greedy in his 63528ca646 life, hoarded the 0d9246cd5b rings with fervor. He slipped them 407471c214 onto his fingers ef5d04ee03 one by one—first 4160b5b8e5 his left hand, c15de44e73 then his right. But when only 36dad7924c one ring remained, 11ef4a375b he found there ce9f90b766 was no room da21cd90fa left to wear 8b17f2a9eb it.c51ec2badf90c272

Reflexively, he glanced ed334c420c at Huikyung’s hand. The man, 06470b8920 as if 30a243f80a waiting for 267c7c07c9 this, stretched f3c593ddc1 out his 36fbf1d4d9 fingers. His neat, 1cf5464c4d well-shaped hands e1406689e7 tapered to 844fd5410f fingertips tinged 9298501439 with a b874048107 healthy pink. Hesitant, Jaekani looked deffd60cf0 down at the be2034a51e simple flower ring e993d36e02 in his palm—made 1af575264f from clovers and c46c8dd7ce oxalis, plain yet 071c6c5595 vibrant against Huikyung’s a281d6e83d pale skin.54f6d89fcb42d9d8

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After a 6307dd164c moment’s pause, f61abd0b27 Jaekani slid f73d1a366e the ring 6e4c6ad79d onto Huikyung’s 28a72c4286 index finger.6657d7c2caa0dd2f

“Why, thank you. What a thoughtful gift.”a3cc2373bc576c62

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Huikyung’s exaggerated tone of 1cc4259789 gratitude made Jaekani let fc694337a8 out a breathy laugh. After sharing the rings, 20ea1a15dd Jaekani sat down cross-legged 3abe8a0df0 in front of the 318878a596 bars. He wanted 5f5ff50bcc to as, 0851c2267d ‘How have 16b5a8ce2f you been?’ 319fb5e384 but quickly 229fcc1c9b dismissed the 53b47628bf idea. Whether Huikyung had been 2965d0508f fine or not, what ac5cdd4057 difference would it make?13ccafd25376e597

Still, he felt 0edcdacd2b the need to 78b3cc1334 say something.f482026ed2a780c7

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Just days 3fa9a7e7a9 ago, he 006a50dbcf had anxiously 28a60eced7 waited for fd25ce28c6 night to 5b24fb0c96 fall, restlessly 52063c9a07 pacing until 0421568235 he could 96606c4d91 come here.124d65d4c1885521

After some hesitation, Jaekani finally spoke, his voice quieter than usual, “Huikyung, you said this village is garbage.”ad74fc9757834295

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“Yeah,” came the blunt reply.731c632ff4840d4f

“…Why? Is it because they locked you up?”d945bcadc45ee245

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Huikyung’s sharp 8de96a8f2e eyes studied 0c4f663bad Jaekani as 1455466ec8 the boy 986a6eec37 fiddled with 75c711afbd one of 17331b8f3c the flower 1799aea232 rings, as f803d93754 though Huikyung 028c9d1908 were analyzing 1378bd4bf4 every move.75475bd9bc6c43d3

“Is that why you hate it here? Because of this place? But… you’re the one who did something wrong, right? You’re here because you committed a crime.”d68b04bf0e26a213

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There was 89df72b859 an unspoken 4ceb43ef29 plea in 94fb398c99 Jaekani’s tone.0f11ef507da482b5

‘Please say yes.’058b318c7d2b669c

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Did the boy realize 3c6b5c9833 how much his words 51bacdee5f sounded like a desperate 80efcac0a5 prayer?420edcd8b6c26404

Huikyung recognized that he b75546f105 stood at a crossroads. Everyone struggles between the b25bfad036 paths of righteousness and b4ed7d1b7f convenience. For Huikyung, 63d7de0374 choices had 69dd4218ff always been 9c0fb91cb7 easy; he b0969f1531 interpreted his 98bf8839a3 moral compass f98306a993 however he aa3968ac97 pleased and 2d588d29aa took whichever fbab43d07a path suited eacb1a8286 him. Yet now, with an 1d97e63992 easy and clear answer 72a88af87c before him, he hesitated. For the first time, 7ced9b83bb he felt the weight 919366523a of a decision he 736a8e6191 didn’t want to make.e8e8da49e64aa6cd

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He needed 3086c044f9 more time.1ef4d81047268023

“Jaekani.”ba97c52323c55f1a

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“…Yes?”7dfce14bf018d906

Despite having made 22e15cf8ed up his mind a49ca45eef to delay, Huikyung 24e6ce02da spoke.14310804abc806d5

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“Your words are right. I want to leave.”d031d1f4852b48fa

Jaekani’s mouth fell c4eeeeb985 open slightly.ab2505c0eda49253

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To Jaekani, Huikyung 8f6fd95b23 had always seemed bcf4695ccf carefree, adaptable, able 99787edf39 to fit into 2d7ce99267 any mold and 72745e255f mimic its shape 7fffdd62d7 with ease. Yet, when Huikyung occasionally fbe5804526 stared directly at him a7bd523143 without expression, it felt 77423a27ea as if even Jaekani’s 86e472ad16 most private thoughts and 2b8db92766 memories were being laid 0f01ac9184 bare. Was this why e1252cb044 Huikyung often masked 83f165b042 himself with a e419a8ab4e bright, easygoing demeanor, ae28d3a42f like wrapping a 513911af73 blade in paper?256c992da206b6d5

“As soon as possible.”adabe1b4e70e8e12

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Though his tone 837e0e08d8 carried a faint ebc6f9686a smile, it was b82d2c6ca6 even and unwavering. Jaekani understood the gravity 1061038ff1 behind the words.932bd93eda8a1a77

Sometimes, inside or outside a6efdfb7e5 the village, they would 91a9b12420 come across the remnants 7ca557909f of creatures—claws, scales, or e7e5a42248 corpses. Rarely, when he 26f23ac4e2 found a scale, 542738a3d4 Jaekani would hold c93768f9cb it up to 0ec35dc37a the light. Though dull 7f9a2b7e1c gray at d216cf8307 first glance, 730f963a2d the scales 5c7bf78dde revealed a 21ec56a4d0 metallic sheen 7dd0f7ac44 under sunlight, 443daedc2c their ridges c5639ea0ad refracting light f103120581 into a 92694612d4 sharp spectrum 97ce7a19c5 that cast 4ce4a13982 shadows across 740d3a02e0 his face.7731d5909f237189

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Huikyung was 69653424b9 like one 7736976f92 of those 95ff9a0581 scales—a dangerous 030c305cd5 remnant of 76b912bebc something greater.a8eb156d6756b5f2

“Will you get me out of here?”ffd79719f5f29ae9

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Jaekani didn’t e9b50819d8 understand why 5df3b01f37 he was a4973051b0 smiling.ba4bec227d109b94

He couldn’t 3329225766 even figure 49cd1c204b out his 39029cdb29 own emotions, 9d5673030a yet there 967d50923c he was, 7e1637d341 grinning ear 953d0ca333 to ear. He nodded eagerly, as f13376cbf0 if he had been 990ac57aa2 waiting for this moment.125dfb150ca658c4

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With renewed determination, he immediately asked, “How?”4c89fe334b63237d

Truth be 6774675dae told, Jaekani 090c23eaf0 had wondered c93bf80e70 before. When they 8d0fb338c9 first met, 5a5de43383 and even e7b9d19b9d afterward, Huikyung bc5e0a70d9 never asked 9c73264eed to be b400ab5100 freed. Did that 30e8886540 mean he 3715a26202 was the 224c2eb81a type of 2979ef661d bad person 31fd826446 who accepted c6b0563ad5 his punishment? Or was d4d4b17dd4 he just bb779bbdc4 the kind 7da1e54352 of bad 7a9be44788 person who 2d6a5dae8d actually enjoyed 4362b2468e being confined?ec0bac3fb886a29f

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“That’s for you to figure out,” Huikyung replied.e46693c6277d3903

The brightness on 1d0e59c5cb Jaekani’s face cracked. He reevaluated Huikyung—not 51ace9ec4d just a bad ea29bbd4e3 person, but a 124b991421 ‘crazy’ one.05707bd465dfa565

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“Are you here because you shoved all your work onto someone else and got locked up for it?”2c53a3067b837249

Was his ebdb9fe615 crime something c70e3cb326 like ‘laziness’ dcef22d007 or ‘shirking e31c6b7018 duties’? Why else 2ae367c2ff would he 97e30ed658 pass the 2451dd70f8 burden of 94eacbac1f his escape cab253b8ac plan onto 511340225e ‘me’?e32b79f34c89fd14

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“You might as well insult me outright,” Jaekani muttered.18bd8ff375b75132

Huikyung lightly tapped Jaekani’s 18d6a5ce19 shoe with his flower-ringed 92aa7a7b87 finger. The touch 31bc9a2a35 was as e25e3c4ead fleeting and 3febb34842 gentle as 04ea7b7f83 a dragonfly 82e0104bfe landing, yet a99580a039 Jaekani missed 7df735d007 the sensation d68c6519a4 as soon 19badbe336 as it d6219f88b4 was gone.f5b47a4c01e0b7aa

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“Don’t mess around,” Jaekani said.573e98c108efa589

“I’m serious,” Huikyung replied.43849006e0291fd4

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“…You’re serious?” Jaekani asked, incredulous.17e9a2820d847d1b

“Come inside first.”f2318df041282f6d

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“Inside? …Oh.”f9fe31388e65c7bc

At first, cd1b39f2df Jaekani thought 992116c448 Huikyung meant 8ccd73f113 to crawl b0584a9b90 through the 422d69f3aa bars. Realizing he was referring e9dc50fa38 to the maintenance building 5f2e052214 itself, Jaekani felt embarrassed. He shook 0364e0f8fd off the 04b794a245 dust from 6b2ae82303 his pants 33cd1ee967 and stood cba955dd81 up, deciding 1fc4a66a8e it was 67c3b18b3e best to 074c8b7c30 seize the 79debe0a36 moment while dde29742cf he was 1fb806c9bd there.3414f9ab91b0cf85

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“All right, I’ll go in now.”40ea55676f2aaaa0

“Be careful. Just follow the footprints—you’ll see them.”a80d2e597a03ccaa

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“Footprints?” Huikyung spoke as though many people had been coming and going from his cell. Brushing the concrete powder from his hands, Jaekani nodded.3ae5ca72135a8408

The entrance b88038f232 to the f8b55cc073 building looked bfb13e4d03 even more 663b7ec9e5 decrepit than 291e29eb0d when he’d e72a4d2460 first discovered ca50e7c643 it. There was no light, 745d20b8f8 not even a flicker. Luckily, it 711b88eff8 was daytime, 4765ad86b9 and Jaekani 45c0fa5224 could avoid ba98493c8f the scattered fefc6bdf35 debris. If it were night, f4092d892a entering without a flashlight d480b8e89d would surely mean injury e9a287904f or worse.9402a02ce2bbc6c2

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As he stepped closer 61e262ae0b to the darkened entryway, 1db2533157 where rainwater and rust-colored 28c76cd647 stains pooled ominously, a 5b3e299c61 voice stopped him.ece906d16bf0dbb9

‘Jaekani. …Jaekani!’f0fd868428da1551

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Huikyung’s urgent tone a1f907b91a made Jaekani retreat 6ed03c7de7 outside. Startled by the unusual 5d1ea00f24 urgency, Jaekani ran back 43386a2d28 to the basement vent. Kneeling down f1ac1ee453 and lowering 4034c54e4b his head, a80263e3e6 he saw 09e5015cb5 Huikyung’s lips c7bb161b7f pressed close df3d23ada5 to the 84a44b6e5b bars as 21eb93e057 he whispered 710169a784 hastily.7e78cbd068805778

“Someone’s coming. Go back.”906c991ffd29acd2

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Jaekani turned 25dbd3659e instinctively, but dfa62188e2 there was 7ace7c7151 no one dbe2a6cf1c behind him.7bb08394f46362ed

‘Did I mishear?’5adae36fd29ed322

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He was about d461931348 to reassure Huikyung 49531f89df that he didn’t 5e3b89d2d4 see anyone when d7d7ade527 a pale hand 155564e637 shot out, gripping fb934ac74a his wrist tightly. The sudden warmth of 7773ae276e the fingers, like a d135924083 shackle, made Jaekani inhale 8deed432bd sharply.f712ac65cead41cc

“Not the way you came—take a different route. Go. …Now!”029924997c396d71

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With a forceful shove, 5bf6f1fa35 Huikyung pushed Jaekani’s hand 57b2eed20e away. His command was urgent, 395c9f9f96 leaving no room for 4d5e966627 argument. Scrambling to his 0d18136789 feet, Jaekani glanced 3668f7c3e1 back at the d03822d9d8 path he had 2d872f9d59 come from, then 662b5e05f8 turned toward an 45ef5cbee4 unfamiliar side path. He had never f7f2bd8eaa been that way 16089f8c4f before, but it 1ee954583f was still within d467712425 the village walls—it 98e2d6afd6 should be safe.a94c80914486e973

Jaekani started to run, 5fe7b976d9 his foot barely leaving e3dad677cf the ground before he 29d85145ef froze, as if caught 24dc45c981 in vines.576ac8a96d16161f

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His blue eyes didn’t aa6f62ee66 look at his unmoving bb56a15671 feet but instead turned 6a3c9fd327 back toward the faintly 169cbb388e visible crack of the b457bd3fa8 basement, where Huikyung remained 299781d128 hidden behind the iron 4e9d1f750a bars.99b97d8d764640d8