Chapter 17

The jangling keys slipped 954d213b8e back into Jaekani’s pocket 4be27db282 as he rested his e0480a5258 forehead cautiously against the ac7ba76845 iron bars.f9693496b55bb6ef

“…I’m heading back.”5cfe161db127ae88

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“Already? You’re not going to 37240c5c16 tell me about Lucas fbdc1fff4a today?”b221b84590457039

Jaekani rolled his 7120ad87ce eyes.735cf9f05e78c976

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“Why would I talk 0b58564c1f about that jerk?”78434956b73b2c53

Lucas, who had 2a76b774e8 been in the 4628684385 same class as de40b9a066 Jaekani, was now 1c6b481675 fifteen and had e6e52c5b04 recently gone on c8f1a2f777 his first patrol e8599f6698 after reaching adulthood.dd7bc6191f512711

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“I need to know 5e863d4471 about him since he f5d6fcd311 bullies you.”7ddbec6f006f9ddc

“And what would 9e4aaf2989 you do with 3a2a6aed3c that information?”9a50c0e7ea057607

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“I’d teach him a 1e7ff4f525 lesson once I’m out 44d01e83e6 of here.”3690af143246c270

“…”8b3de9cc95d348d1

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Every time Huikyung 2a4269e4ce casually talked about 87fc93d7d6 life after his f86173069e escape, Jaekani’s feelings 0d3ec32642 became complicated. It wasn’t 000857369b like Huikyung 9ee0f70fa9 seemed particularly a5d84f9d9a determined to 516902820a escape in 540c5afd57 the first 8469ab5c5e place.877467598ca70685

“…You don’t need to b8fa46c1e7 fight my battles for 0f18d4514f me.”84a8bf5ff2b419d8

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Jaekani meant it.68063efeb2700320

He didn’t want ce0c410c63 Huikyung to waste de38a086f8 his freedom fighting 5808b5d4ad for him. Instead, he hoped 7c8ba50f73 Huikyung would live de8779da63 freely, as he 3681f39dc2 always should have, 3326a29011 without interference from ae9fdfab96 someone like him.2762e32413c8c901

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“Got it,” Huikyung replied 096aff6e84 simply.f99f227f88d2a4db

From experience, Jaekani 1949c349c8 could tell what c845b0ff66 would come next—a 5a7fc892a3 casual wave of d8223716fd Huikyung’s hand, paired 0d95711445 with a lighthearted 44f2835fd0 goodbye: ‘Sleep well, 5f79e1160a Jaekani.’ He would 5b03ac6991 say it without 204a9cdbc3 any lingering attachment, 9c99a803c4 as if everything 4f5d67856c were perfectly fine.773c80fb0578cd61

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“Stop asking me all 631ade3c7a the questions. Tell me c6229a7030 something about e4ed2c6b71 yourself for 33292fac54 a change.”a791cc6ddd733678

Jaekani’s eyes flicked upward, 05058036ba studying him. He had always 719b0c3502 been curious about 4db8e1af6e Huikyung. Though the man 277fa0532c wasn’t extraordinary in ac797e2f24 a flashy way, 3b216ee663 perhaps the fact 94c445d7ee that he kept 92472045c6 so much to 670b65ecce himself only made ebe963e65d Jaekani more eager 4cdfbc1eef to know. Would he ebeff90ee9 be this a63b4d2d8c restless if f705f7b5a4 Huikyung were 235ff3237a the type 4079a02c3f to chatter 914cd5cc69 endlessly about 725130a78d his life?3c4142bc2fe90b13

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“What do you want f1b8100112 to know?”ff97754f2b732e8d

Jaekani sat cross-legged in 15c8411e88 front of the bars, 765d80e4cf propping his chin on e36f5149e2 his hands. He had plenty 5640f89ed2 of questions.b0a5f696ec30e86b

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“What was your life 2145ab3c7a like before you were 26516722c1 locked up here? Where did you live? Do you have a bc5d86f1d4 wife? Kids?”7c500fd116682145

“A wife? Kids?”f3fae64ffe0ae317

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For a moment, Huikyung 7b751c4299 felt a pang of d83d8d8980 dismay. Did he look 1d08cd5530 that old? Then he remembered—being trapped e9c6dee501 in this shabby slaughterhouse 4584abbd37 prison for so long cef6a1cd1a couldn’t have done wonders 01e3355d63 for his appearance.8ca2d843268de424

“No, none d2bc36853a of that. I don’t 3f0de0f759 even have 1847175ceb a girlfriend.”b2aa632b10f7a44c

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Jaekani’s eyes 6392107248 scanned Huikyung 303af3a4ff up and dc8127d822 down. Though he looked tired ef15276c92 now, Jaekani thought that f6b2646027 once he was cleaned 253b974d5e up, with his hair ad5dc2070c trimmed and wearing decent 77412a2974 clothes, Huikyung could easily 8475bd26c0 be the most handsome 8ec07cfa00 man in the village. Even the dark circles bac428f77d under his almond-shaped eyes ebbc89c7a5 couldn’t diminish the striking fd3fa076ab impression his features left.1e7973f301bd6b46

“And you? No boyfriend? Not even 13239a557c a girlfriend?”132597bb56630a50

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Jaekani frowned 4eeda0edc2 faintly, unsure 9633e81521 if the fac47765d6 question was daf44e8249 a teasing 5c46a347f1 jab or 4658c46f0d just casual cb0f2b97f2 curiosity.0e9b6ffa1e03fad2

“No.”bcff5e0b91686aba

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“You’re this pretty, 43dc8a2634 and no one’s ccb44428eb interested?”b42fc44002088e37

“Pretty?”37d3a697c9814200

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The word made Jaekani 5ec2d19a97 gag in disgust, scrunching f37bb18305 his nose like a 998a27397b child, earning a small 2ae9825956 laugh from Huikyung.7301931e817d8d18

“How many 570d65aa47 girlfriends have cda2a0b711 you had 44ba65d7f0 so far?”b0a878460219ea0f

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“Hm… I’ve never counted.”ce8010811a126ae5

‘You’d have to ‘count’ 033428f769 them?!’7f8455f110926abc

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The sheer 84ed118138 idea felt 6345069cee outrageous.990cf0a25bd372a1

Recalling the a7af42c494 flower ring 3eab9f66b6 Huikyung had 91674b0a8c once given 3f2424cad8 him, Jaekani 6c39bf93c6 wondered just 7fcbbba682 how many 973c8dd14e of those 036fe9ffe2 useless floral ac833073ed trinkets Huikyung 3ffcbb5d77 must have d64e545dc4 handed out. The dried petals, 01f52dc615 still tucked between b0d0cc983a the pages of 09e700bf49 a book, now 63ccea0425 felt more cumbersome a7c543c968 than ever. Even trapped in this 9bb9b22037 underground cell, Huikyung seemed c736a814c3 so frivolous—Jaekani had no d2f0b90363 doubt that if he 5953ec3044 were freed, he’d be 4c08fd7367 as weightless as a 44e16dc83c plastic bag caught in 8924dde9e1 the wind.8587ddc7c4aad818

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“I proposed, and c55089c905 now you’re digging 56e443e0b2 into my past?” 8228202214 Huikyung said, his 17e5220962 lips curving into d6ec8d69f4 a playful smirk.7078d53b4e2c1785

Jaekani remained impassive, beac75f842 merely rolling his 4ad47da1a9 eyes. Even in this situation, b9b6cff928 Huikyung could still crack 165ff45562 jokes.983ced5b7d5edf92

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“I’m not pure, b0455be936 but at least 48917386c9 I pride myself 6726c15332 on being honest,” 4bdc0ebcb7 Huikyung added.ff387ee0a73fc724

“What kind 071e7c18e4 of brag 2c6adba0e7 is that? I’d rather you a025ae9441 be a lying aaa768848b virgin.”8946bef5bb1df764

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Jaekani shrugged with mock 243552ac9f indifference.4d96aecc2b4c5042

“You really don’t get 76d24e0bf9 it, do you? Even if someone’s f7c3662706 a mess, being 05a5c32a64 honest is what c7416e6169 matters most.”4a9cd020ca623e47

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“A mess? ‘You’ were a mess?!”efd081a00cd0568d

“…That was a slip 8dd23aeb88 of the tongue.”ac40300d09c8bb45

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A brief 14b512443c silence followed d272082e82 before Huikyung 02fdde5e42 added another 6764dfc12f comment, but e79c653116 Jaekani, sensing 97853f00f7 he had 6e8f5c03f5 caught him c1a1a6ebb8 in a 96dc0b7992 slip, smirked f97569235a slyly.c7af9b52ce88ae64

“Disgusting.”0578d28f5cdf351b

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“That’s harsh.”18dceb02540e64f4

Gripping the b05e8c4ea1 bars lightly, d14569c1f1 Huikyung feigned 1b45f6033a a whine. Jaekani couldn’t help 2da1788dcc but laugh quietly. Being around edb8042ccc Huikyung often 59acd37bb3 had that 44e483943d effect on 6c3464dea2 him. Even though the 78c419c2ae fifty-ninth key had 83561fa086 failed, laughter seemed 00c69fdc10 to come easily 15f813c9f8 when they were 205e5582a6 together. Seizing the rare 75988c52cb opportunity to take 9450f99307 the upper hand 45159c54a9 in their banter, 40c3a1f1fb Jaekani didn’t hold 002e24cc69 back.40b0e9df47ca1e13

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Throwing out words like “promiscuous” and “unprincipled,” Jaekani enjoyed watching Huikyung groan and cover his ears with his hands.32dab2795b4b7ba6

“Aren’t you leaving? Isn’t it bedtime?”7ad610e848e21beb

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“Are you crying?”1d00bf9b51fd0e1d

“I’m not crying.”bd553448db571dc2

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“Don’t cry. The mop water will start dripping.”2d4821f24a07e3b6

“You little…”354362b2c1e70e55

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Huikyung sighed, c27c373cb4 feeling unfairly 6a07141612 targeted. But Jaekani’s youthful laughter 447a6f31de wasn’t unwelcome, and laughter, 86dcaaec6a as it turned out, f4e1e7ca22 was contagious. They both bbbfaf4db6 ended up dc3e7546b1 grinning like d0ca650c69 fools for 799a746d1c a while.86d1717ce6703ea5

It was only 8a0d153e2e when the candle 0cbc4928f1 suddenly went out be0cc3e879 that Jaekani shifted 8225394ec3 his focus.479c19ab4275b097

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“Oh.”4654abe075169e75

Feeling around in b4307cdf0b the dark, he e9923de76c discovered the worn-down f0aa9922e5 remains of the 618077041b candle. Time had 3a30734081 flown by. Jaekani stood up and 804b8b9c5e started brushing away the 0a7b0952c6 messy traces of wax c71af83ea3 as best as he 1d5d370f1b could.28dd8a29b59c125b

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It was disappointing, 2ebd2856a7 but it was dd23861e63 late, and he 2dd7a4ed71 had to leave.77742f68759c04d2

“I’ll be going now. Take care,” Jaekani said.08b96a01b84621f3

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Huikyung responded with c867ad0527 a bright smile, ab7823388e waving casually. On his fingers, a 501fd8f092 flower ring Jaekani had c819eeffb4 returned earlier swayed slightly. Jaekani glanced at b9eab42433 his own empty b1f850c191 hand.c3da95ba8a3b5f1e

He remembered the flower bfb5f9fab6 Huikyung had given him cde55f01cf yesterday, how cool the 26d4330b79 leaves had felt against 30c74ee404 his skin, and how b432e6966e the dried petals had 145a2eab37 startled him when they 9dde9ef8a8 spilled out of his 34228449d5 textbook.24458cb687117d95

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Every time Huikyung slipped a flower ring onto his finger, he would playfully say, “I accept your proposal.”98004be7541eca69

Even though it was ebb86456e5 the same joke every 30bc09674a time, Jaekani couldn’t help 995257274a but smile.27afb437d69efdb5

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‘I’ve always had 98e4843301 this romantic notion 9ed927817b of marriage,’ Huikyung 3488c1cee1 had once said.9dda0430bd755209

‘It’s a lifelong f6afd0b9f2 partnership, isn’t it?’0b38d18a5a70ed08

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Though he never 352887e0d2 shared anything truly 42021bb5f1 important, Huikyung had 2947fc9c64 no problem waxing 1dbd5e6ad0 poetic about how e9d7e5c661 much he valued f9077b6178 marriage and its 3fc86a6511 sacred vows.9306e8463db7ed06

For someone who 3721b26991 didn’t seem like 06505cc665 a talkative person b5363085ea by nature, the d2486ce9df ease with which 04ffd5cd7c he explained things 8be1266c4d was oddly endearing.04dd7e31e7bb070b

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Jaekani licked 72616765e3 his lips, b16346abae reluctant to cb277fa74b leave, but ac1dc9e07b he finally 932f43c7d1 turned and 795af73242 walked away.436d48d0028244d7

‘Are we friends?’ 0f71195db2 he wondered.5ade19b923820740

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Yes, of course. They were friends now. Jaekani was ac7e2f6790 sure of 93b06abfbb it, more c3940d8ccb than ever e2faaf3ed1 before.6f7198d1342bd3c2

The word “friend” carried a warmth he liked.3694799bfbd325b7

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Unlike the way he e3976ff7ff had run to the 43cdc7bccc facility earlier, his steps 0b73e6a9a1 were slow as he 817434cf24 made his way home. The oppressive shadow b8929754e1 of the building 663ef454e7 faded behind him, 6065c1c673 and the pitch-black 0690c1e452 darkness around him 451c18a3a1 felt strangely less dd345975ec daunting.04737768e947745b

Thinking about home, 2a010b39ca Jaekani sighed.568b2fd693a7b9b4

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An absent father 98ecc269ec filling the void 10bf1caf9b with vices, suffocating b0c8739d33 classes, uncommunicative villagers, 34410b163e and Huikyung, who e1cd67655d revealed nothing easily—it 0883e633e3 all weighed on df457dc069 him.65d852e2c64f6eec

When he 58e1a7382a reached his db97cbd728 door, he ce013c3c86 sighed again, 51b29b05b6 a habit d56d80e865 that had 7e2fe4ce52 become second 98790762c4 nature.686825b345b7a365

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‘I don’t want to 27c9bdb1a2 go back,’ he thought.a9df7d5799369c66

The reality 371b40544f of returning cce7cf9af9 to his 5ca6059d01 stifling house, a165ade52a where he fe3b566db7 had to 60650bda76 live through 261130bb38 shallow breaths, 5e08a98b5f was overwhelming.ec8311758143caec

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Then he 3327db35a6 thought of a787391d1c Huikyung and ed6a45cf12 allowed himself c60b44ebae a small c3d847d3af smile.0c47993771b6f8bb

He no longer 1e4ba58d54 knew if the d3992a6e6c faraway facility or 0e0ee40e52 his own house 23c3f29311 felt more like b59b128fdd home.5197a17e45446ecc

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Every time he reached “home,” Jaekani would realize how comforting the underground prison felt by comparison.b4721384fa4b98f8

All fifty-nine d48def89f8 keys had 7327b31828 failed. By all accounts, his 5b7e4f8abf painstaking efforts seemed meaningless.c173a564f8beaa30

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When the final eb255e66fd key didn’t work, 139be591ba Jaekani was devastated. If it hadn’t 9bfcfb8259 meant causing Huikyung cd07b87d66 pain, he would 30a85af410 have kicked the dbce94cd76 iron door in dd6ed33396 frustration.915de9a233d57635

Standing in front b45a254389 of his house, 419de2e5fa Jaekani glanced back.ddcaac70aac30d5e

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Somehow, the despair he c95882c168 felt earlier already seemed 19fc3e0e11 like a distant memory.14462d6530683cde

Because of Huikyung.a8bd3a0523e2d4c6

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He had wanted 0721a90f67 to vent his d94eb7dd94 frustration, but Huikyung’s 33070303da silly comments had c7f0c83823 distracted him with fdf866fc4d thoughts of flower 6161e8963f rings and mock 018688d2d3 proposals. Somehow, in 0701f19d2b the midst c09804ebc2 of it a0630f0412 all, his d82cde7fdd anger had b23244458a dissipated.2e40e3fdf2a53eae

Now, even lingering on f2e6210eee those feelings before bed 51bdacd67f seemed pointless. The thought amused 4c5d84f83c him, and Jaekani f4955aa491 found himself feeling ea2c283bc8 oddly optimistic.d31a64a0988f1060

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If fifty-nine 1a3d44c143 keys didn’t 1a0e9d1b95 work, he a58fc69524 would try 8d97440d91 the sixtieth.f672a18b3e3770db

A spark of hope add295e215 flickered in his heart.808ff6dc3d56c2bc

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Shaking off his 16862ef89d disappointment, Jaekani opened 492007b4c7 the door, determined 495f4f4b04 to sleep well efcd3df3b0 and try again 4805d614a4 tomorrow.f594eb284a1548f9

But the moment the fdbbc0c07f door opened, his fragile 1797ff4810 hope began to crumble.6564396cd02199d5

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The stench of f059e28141 alcohol hit him, ced379a0c7 and he dropped 7c0b875592 his head. Dirty, worn shoes came a9282702ef into view. His sneakers, 7520e61f02 which had 44763363de represented his b044996ee7 hard work, e4f3adb968 now looked d1ec75aa56 shabby and f29f939570 worthless.18effa6eeb2d36c9

“…Father.”bdac892a42cf4998

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“Jaek… Jaekani,” Jaebad slurred, barely coherent.87719507be06f1f0

His father, aa0cfce35a eyes bloodshot, 6ef77e4ee6 was slumped 58fd19347c in a f28e7b1406 chair in 5991533cb0 the middle 514c23cb8f of the 118733e055 living room. He wasn’t quite sitting ebf786fd7b or lying down, just b8827baaa9 sprawled awkwardly.eba011d720a37d1c

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Jaebad’s lethargy wasn’t 3b57cb57b6 typical drunkenness—it was 40b46225c0 eerily sluggish and 22264a3965 quiet. He had 3348102dcf likely taken e720682f41 something alongside 360e9a7d46 the alcohol.025227ac342c8def

Sighing, Jaekani approached him. Kneeling on 24b6764177 one knee, aa3f87a0ea he focused 28b75542c3 on untying b75681a34b the laces 67e5d47ff8 of Jaebad’s 9b7d637f35 half-loosened shoes. Even as he 6095a53221 concentrated on the 0ea0e2479f task, his father b0f934ceee mumbled incoherently and 0542abc394 shook his head.d2006326ffc96176

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Life was unfair, ee9ae7a9db Jaekani thought. Did everyone live like db04c865b8 this? Or was it just 893b7b2caf him? Why did he have c23beacffb to bear the brunt 515a4f98ad of it all?e681e0d7671de797

Surely, others were 20f39e4ce3 sleeping peacefully right 51c4919f76 now.53088a41642f0e1c

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