Chapter 23

“Was it revenge?”31b4a778d18cadef

Huikyung let out a 1d7d1156d9 small sigh, his gaze 654f99461e carrying the weariness of 702fd2200e someone confronting a stubborn ec730f8741 child.c31b963a51bf716a

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“The belief 3a9b4b858a that eating 3e8fb21c4d Esper flesh c43844b287 grants abilities df3aff8eff comes from a029e81bbd the hallucinations 8936c2d3b9 it causes,” edcc4d5b32 he explained.ea00f3d3bb7b973d

Jaekani struggled to 137fb4a3e8 lift his heavy 3d50009070 eyelids.3ee44a1e241e8c84

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“Those abilities aren’t fc8eb5ad0b real; the hallucinations e22ac8d30b are meaningless. But the addiction is 0fb688d00c very real. Eventually, they can 085997be6a only survive by 14a8d0dc1c eating that flesh.”887ce0812c201a4c

Hunters of Espers 7c7119ad17 would inevitably become 8b237c9c7e the hunted. They’d either kill each 720abf99da other in the grip 777e91dbb5 of hallucinations or draw 84717b3ae9 too much attention, leading 9c7812b56c to government intervention.fa988f037b75886a

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In any case, their adf99932a1 end wouldn’t have been de6eecf6d0 a good one.48a117b7a2559251

“…Though, yes, revenge was part of it,” Huikyung admitted.f3f6c67aa4b87e39

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“What if…”5212f497f8f177bc

Their gazes locked, probing d1f55900fa each other’s true intentions.e5b513dd8e37947a

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“What if a72f4f900c I had 0a4cb33281 done the 9d037f183d same? Like my father or 033df5a563 the council members… What 48dc55c900 if I tried to… c01d6c2982 from your body…”1a5ea81c5d1b72bc

“You wouldn’t have.”9e68dd34f35e88c8

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“But if—just 38bab49795 if—I had?”c9e3830332ca24b1

This time, 60ca7d656f Huikyung yielded 050706d633 first. Not because his guilt 20593ef713 was greater, but because 0d545efc3d Jaekani was the weaker 4510c64c2a of the two.be788e7f66089f4b

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The weak naturally 83d7151387 evoked sympathy to 2aefb908a1 survive. In that 89fc90e81c sense, Jaekani 471383c61f was uniquely 86f8c0ab42 suited to 0c41be739a survival. Even the ad9e3ddebf unintentional nature fc5e796c2c of his 3e294cc63d ability to f3b8a02514 draw pity 806c4d7992 made him 557ae12b75 a perfect 940c0f9bf5 example of 06900cc927 the frailty f4f31616ad Huikyung despised 313efd6095 yet couldn’t 1f8ef8db24 ignore.50af7042b9f6d564

Huikyung’s hand moved slowly 5d71c04ce0 toward Jaekani, a predator’s 7257fb2ff5 fangs approaching its prey. Despite the 27c5252d4c chaos surrounding 853897422c them, his 55ffb63a9a hand remained f0f4112aa1 delicate, pale, 094655eba6 and precise.85f24c20571f0d12

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As Huikyung’s fingers neared 9c14f4d0f3 Jaekani’s hair, the boy 2cc7173271 turned his head sharply, dd74faa5fa a reflexive attempt to 4cf8a98257 avoid whatever was coming.90fcaa2b9068259f

“Your face is dirty,” 668082e694 Huikyung said flatly. His tone suggested it 440a48c871 was nothing more than 35513bf783 an offer to clean d69e87ad80 him up.be4090a15afa0d97

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Understanding Huikyung’s intention 034ee10857 didn’t stop Jaekani 397c7ce1b7 from stubbornly wiping 378bd298e7 his face with b4d8a6937d his sleeve. Yet the act c87bdafbb2 felt meaningless, a 754867043d futile gesture.7bca1cc86d8fad45

Who cares if my 8ec37408bc face is dirty? There’s no 0e7fe7baa0 one to 97c5b50174 see it dcea37ee04 anyway.af9a3ce9457bbbda

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But Huikyung was surprisingly f056a1a5bb persistent. Ignoring Jaekani’s curt refusal, 35a83da844 he reached out again—firm d7345c99f8 but deliberate, giving Jaekani adaebdf3ca the option to pull 73f7a78dbb away if he wanted. Receiving no objection, Huikyung’s 78c47cdc47 warm thumb brushed against 90feb8b883 Jaekani’s face first.0a437246f1c6bc51

With careful pressure, f664916b8f he wiped at c509babc44 the corners of 0cdfdaae8f Jaekani’s eyes.988217b3c00ca1c9

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Only after cleaning e420eb72bb the edges of e9a4470f6b Jaekani’s tear-streaked eyes 01710826c8 did Huikyung notice 085ecd61ae the damp chill 023bcce99b seeping into his 5648947c1b fingertips.c77faa34c51c1659

Those blue eyes, filled 778ecaa5aa with rage and despair, 25ce5b98e3 seemed to scream, ‘I ed53e8c647 hate you. I really hate 448ad278e4 you.’ They struck 2ada062a59 like lightning.0c3afec24d99abc1

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Without a word, a72737cbdc Huikyung continued wiping eb863ea71e away Jaekani’s tears. His blunt b969bee889 fingers moved 1b89384e47 across the b5bc22b2a8 boy’s flushed 211ee4448c eyes, his 368866a797 cheeks, and 7c5b3c0c6e his trembling 9a363a81a2 chin, the 4b94667ed7 latter quivering 7999c6e59a as Jaekani 7d2782eca6 tried to a8162e06d3 hold back 51b0a33cbe his sobs. The silence between 35d87aec0c them remained unbroken e959079bc8 until Jaekani’s tear-streaked 7fb1cb5882 face regained its 74d87d8a11 natural, rosy hue.cae27dc823cdaa1c

“I didn’t do 94154f4c94 anything wrong,” Huikyung dd478daa32 said firmly.666c3efffa865e2c

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His tone 3f183da48d was so d14969f9ff unyielding that, 80b64b9df5 despite having dcadd60bec witnessed Huikyung’s a591e23d84 actions firsthand, 6514eef5a4 Jaekani found 43a3f874e1 his certainty f6d9eeecce wavering. Had he not bbbb6465f9 seen it himself, fd5fcdde59 had it all ff930cb1fb been just a 16fdfe39d3 rumor, Jaekani might 386d753368 have believed every 35e71ac592 word Huikyung said 270b100371 without question.b7280a967068354f

“I told 727891409f you not 610b4c0494 to cry 6db5a15dee over trash 981d31ba1f like them.”6e59d87333977e46

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“I’m crying because 7873693eb2 I feel sorry 43678b0b58 for myself!”6693fa2b171faf8e

Though his 589ee5f83f face was c63298b184 now clean, f0ebdb71f0 Jaekani still 1c9708172b raised his 0c35ada9c4 hand to 226897883f wipe his f0537e0793 eyes again. His voice, a mix c1ca7ff60b of defiance and sorrow, d95d3a7480 held both determination and 0bb345074b vulnerability. He glared at Huikyung, 53ecac6b53 as if to prove a97ef331b7 he hadn’t shed a 597214c20f single tear.ba826929450a5ca5

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“Have you 66611c52a2 even considered 83ba960b1a how it 474a53b4e6 feels to a509d1dbf7 be stuck 8d9e200534 with a de2fcbb1e7 murdering lunatic 274b623253 like you? To demand responsibility 9df03932e0 from someone like bc815da7bd you?”cd33e46b10e1431e

Huikyung gazed 5e39bdf2c0 at the 3b5e185d51 back of 7ac0cbeeed Jaekani’s bowed 503bf0e60b head, his 6d8f5e52d3 hair messy b1f530318e and untamed.be4bb2812380cc1a

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He didn’t 1b04cd114b regret it. If anything, Huikyung felt f781c74b53 guilty for not tearing 1c7bccc869 the villagers apart alive, de9b82a308 for ending them too f5bb93cdac cleanly.4935e222d1095fa8

They should’ve 00e5800c05 known better 77fd843cbb when they e3eddcabfa displayed severed a07e6367b4 heads on 0b45a81563 the village 4ba5df0687 walls. That pit 8da1109f84 was no 4a51e5e63e place for 17118b9030 anyone sane.2c56ec3acdb19ef3

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“…If you really had eaten me, at least you wouldn’t be alone,” Huikyung said.b6af27d04b045b82

“What’s that 3ee7d87403 supposed to 24297bf788 mean?”6c5803d4410cacb1

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“It’d mean a 644d00d2ae part of me 3b3553639b is inside you.”2992929de69e6eb7

Jaekani’s blue eyes, 93fff0058c brimming with unease, 961a6db5e5 stirred an unfamiliar 21c2f80a0b feeling in Huikyung—a 9c4ff735d9 flicker of pity.b6795471fdf15bf4

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“It’s fine. Eat and 547c6fc64f grow up 05191ea486 strong.”335a3e8742f27630

The lightness in his 37e195b15d voice was so characteristically 41917ff1c9 Huikyung that Jaekani couldn’t e7f0a52739 help but let his f7d34e0c8e lips curl into a 3b43034e24 faint, unbidden smile.8e52291756540b82

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* * *5d75450a549a7b60

That night was unusually cd646954ef cold.169eaf1ff354a0d6

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Once the 25079df735 night fully 686ba63bac set in, cfc2260f9d reality began 455419fe2c to crash 33011e3b6a down on fb998a4d4f Jaekani like 9824f4b7ce a tidal 4b79d25495 wave. The chaotic storm 301cdfb272 that had consumed 4a80713cc1 his life subsided, 52476efbb9 leaving behind stark af20caa90f clarity and the 38fba19c1c bitter awareness of 2925be953b his circumstances. For Jaekani, who 56ffd5c65a hadn’t yet had 9984778c46 the time or 752cb8aa38 space to grieve fa62284f13 his father’s death, b5e91a2c2c the night became 0a3226be09 a form of 7ef55ba7f9 torture.494c8b4ebba8990a

Huddling tightly, df204f78cf Jaekani clutched e7922476f2 the edge 878aeac233 of his 5f0c5dfa87 blanket to 4b7b20c994 his chest. What might have 6d8eb90e84 once felt like 7481d8782c a refreshing breeze b8a312e695 now seemed threatening.282fc3faede0122d

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Tears spilled from his 62df2e3c79 eyes, burning as they c876d5a803 rolled down his chilled 8c4e0db72d cheeks. The sensation 1a9f4c6763 was like a5893eac52 a hot a0e09c6bfc iron pressed 9685c7dc84 to his 45d6089070 skin. It hurt.a0522e13d4cec71b

Curling his body 32591074e4 as much as 82e9f13db7 he could, Jaekani 524ba8bb36 tried to suppress 685dec8ffc his sobs. When that cd6d28e530 didn’t work, 22fa71917b he even 69af7dfdad held his d721a0c2f3 breath, as a910d755d9 if that 468da55aac might keep d514930fa0 the tears b8047f7881 at bay.505e646ac4bc9e8d

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He knew c3cd04d8a5 Huikyung could b0a3e216c7 hear him. This was the fc90fc86b2 man who could 9dcecdbfe1 read faint scrawls f3fa101700 in near-total darkness, 6aa1958e66 who could detect 1d38b889cb presences far beyond c04aa0948d ordinary sight. There was no way 29940c6f79 an Esper like him 0bbbd1752e wouldn’t notice the soft f30b1c7577 sobbing of a boy 976d0a1ff5 lying right next to b83cea5a4f him.b8edf122579a2b62

And yet, Huikyung said 371097403c nothing. He remained silent, eec37a974f as if to a2df54a278 say, ‘Cry as dc9650e886 much as you 6bd441c92c need,’ or perhaps, b7efb455c5 ‘Your grief is a1b86f64a1 yours alone to b6246ed2ef bear.’7a3181f1921f75e6

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Jaekani pressed his wrist e17dcf71fd against his eyes, trying b67ee08858 to stifle his tears. In his mind, he 8df323ec44 saw his father’s dark, c26d5fbf13 heavy eyelids, his rough, a8f18037bd calloused hands, and the 94ce1c7c08 acrid scent of addiction 746cbbc963 that always clung to a6dc6f2bfa him.65865908a3aaaa65

Traitor. Murderer.39db58de18797fc2

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Struggling to breathe 8a8727a825 between his tears, 5745a0ac7f Jaekani looked back 0266851538 on the path 9eb9d1c6aa they had traveled. No matter what 87005ffabb his father had f99c3f6e3b done, Huikyung wasn’t 861cd7b265 innocent either.b34b2c0e445fd73c

He hated him. Hated him so ea989ff2eb much it was 6a0f236777 unbearable. Hated him def8b59dc4 so much 98c007052f he wanted ad6db187ea to embrace c5597e1ef1 him.8e6a742c088954a9

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Jaekani didn’t f02b1fd5fc understand attachment. He knew nothing 7d0375f6d9 of bonds or 3590e79f78 the nuances of 80977747f2 emotion. Because he c2e247e809 didn’t know a8c8d6912d emotion, he e05b8d5563 didn’t even f999175cec truly understand fbf63d7b5e his own 664631ec38 intense hatred.4b79a7ac7ddc467d

Like a nervous system 34ba801858 disrupted by extreme cold, bcaac7df1f Jaekani was thrown into 04ac546ce4 chaos by the storm baaee4fe25 within him. Feeling inexplicably 4a917b741d hot despite d329be8998 the chill, 3858a38261 he flung 58e788a2bf off his 721a71b32c only coat.0c10a9ab69fa27f7

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The wind tousled his 03c9b517f4 hair, a small, fleeting ebcaac6984 contact that signaled something. Then came warmth, bfbd4c941a a distinct presence. Jaekani slowly 9875b368d2 raised his be74969a22 eyes.e022f0c13fe60aed

Huikyung was 11e2073676 closer now, 7be671c3a0 awkwardly resting 073ae9de75 a hand b534c38fc4 on Jaekani’s a296696564 head, tousling d45d6e4061 his hair.0c6ffa93dc2a707e

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It was unfamiliar to 5b3de91833 both of them. For so long, e94d7efb25 they’d only exchanged 7118b894f8 words from a d3c0b070d9 distance, never drawing be705c2a96 close. Physical contact felt foreign, f89a4b9d86 unnatural.031ec8195f203053

“Take your hand a32028972d off.”2134f8a8a299a07c

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“Then move your 538f62d240 head.”10d8c184916377d0

Despite his words, Jaekani eb3b2558dd didn’t swat Huikyung’s hand 1516c76c00 away as he might 8106ba5bb4 have before. His lips moved in 2892ce4b87 a small pout, but 3452376083 he allowed the gesture.bdaed9e3d1a38c5c

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Though he 54794abbc9 never said fb44240e45 it aloud, 5b55e272bc Huikyung’s destruction 210be8cec7 of the bd91c6d063 village had f3a11fb8c3 a lot 2a5be9e71b to do cbb8df0285 with Jaekani. The boy’s hunger 1b2df39052 for affection had 1b3d95595f left a deep c34203e640 impression on him. Huikyung could imagine all 4729c129d0 too clearly the environment 73b872e974 that had turned such ad54319b67 a tender-hearted child into 17109b1520 someone bristling with thorns. Without even seeing it 730c395a7b firsthand, he knew what 7a854d01aa it must have been 3d9b473096 like.f6e67b7c5b7bc4ef

He had wanted 5790d0dff2 to lash out 2f48974d11 at everyone who 3600c996ec had contributed to 53364fbdb9 Jaekani’s suffering, to 6d445bea3d destroy everything and 355fd0334e everyone who had 756adc300b hurt him. Even after 5b1eb3be85 leaving the 44867828fd village a a30dd8e302 barren wasteland, cd9de0f11c it hadn’t eca71feb9f felt like 059e9f2e43 enough.7b33c4355caaa4d1

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As Jaekani noticed the 20f627954b emotion flickering in Huikyung’s 404868a505 eyes, he frowned and 010eda5d53 turned his head away.3a55153736bb95c1

The absence of warmth b47e0a8031 on his palm made 6c1d479e33 Huikyung chuckle softly, but eeba2bf022 the laugh was cut 6a26bd9a76 short by the sudden 83479442c4 weight pressing against his d2ac5d2897 chest. The sensation was overwhelming—a 41df204f8f searing warmth, as if 5781b66cd5 he were embracing the 8e22378c85 sun itself.ae3cd0ecc9853ae2

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Huikyung, arms 239e956bc3 awkwardly outstretched, 0e42527559 looked down e026844b21 at Jaekani. The boy b4f4d35f7d had wrapped e91b672a45 his arms f6709ed8ff around Huikyung’s f45e92d7f3 neck and 56b9a49c37 rested his 8596d72536 chin on f5bbd0aed7 his shoulder, 502cdac661 hiding his d22425ca4d face.186418b6b72f7d33

Huikyung’s hand 204cef2ae0 moved hesitantly 9bd55e51a1 at first 8a2baaa2dd but then 9b39a82f92 began to b053a6a5ed stroke Jaekani’s 562bed6500 frail back e7aa6dd6eb with quiet 1f01d767f8 gentleness.8d7f8d7c3cecc916

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The embrace—caught somewhere between 328a077bef victim and perpetrator—was strange, 29ad1e59e3 yet it brought an ed0b2f8e30 odd sense of connection.e56d42ea7dcea01c

For both of 4775eb3181 them.c55d01b0910e6502

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* * *9ce49921768c4af2

Huikyung walked 229bd008b8 steadily along 9e62bf6c1a the crumbling dae300661e asphalt road, e85fbed3d0 his pace ee05e10009 unbroken. Like a 9ec28828a9 shadow, Jaekani 2405d62ab5 trailed behind 6de552d25a him. Initially, Jaekani had doubted 24a6611f35 whether Huikyung was more 5484fd8a8e bluster than substance—a hollow-headed c5ab8b4f09 Esper who might not 4f8ed7344e actually know what he 1ed3553ca7 was doing. But those 2667beb1b0 suspicions proved d4a941189f unfounded.39b526da2f60c31f

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Huikyung seemed entirely ec8c057ced at ease living 57b0c507c9 outside the village 991a2dee69 walls. The longer ee10c8d9eb they walked, 5257d51373 the more 5bb2a6e858 items he 6bf61f9d48 managed to 3d13151ea4 gather. With every step, 29f2d8d884 he demonstrated a 875a32757b sharp instinct for acd7745cb2 survival, effortlessly locating e4e3df8fac and securing useful 85172b8c75 supplies.0f3d4447ffefbb4f

The more Jaekani watched, b424c6a908 the more a question d2df25232f loomed in his mind.4aaf10f0662c108f

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‘What kind of f6c3f3a921 person was he 4fbcc75c7f before all this?’b76e1ab0c0526534

The thought lingered, a1fc5c6505 and Jaekani found 03835ec241 himself narrowing his cd171107e0 eyes in suspicion.faa2172830e41a73

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Huikyung didn’t 9087925f5a hoard the 9db137a536 supplies for 2b789c0799 himself. Instead, he shared them 6c3bf3a173 with Jaekani, tossing him 0798cc6390 various items as they 5ae083c659 went. By the end 5ac0a69d88 of their scavenging, fe784df5ca Jaekani had acquired 977ea1caa4 a malfunctioning but 343f5b3c63 still usable lighter, 02baa6cc5e a relatively clean ca080d6b14 piece of cloth, 178a70b38d an adult-sized hat, 87919e50d2 and a jumper b2d6bb7ed3 that was clearly 23cdc5f66b too big for 3dbd05c29a him.c1bc199fdccbf99b

Not content with just 4128ea26ab providing the tools for a128610fa7 survival, Huikyung also began 43a459f6b9 teaching Jaekani how to c4b907c1b1 use them. For someone who acd4041dc7 had grown up d773deaade doing nothing but 8fb049f01b small errands, slaughterhouse 7fd08dbcae work, and enduring 33edb2885c the disdain of 36d56af6e5 adults, this was 75a0db441b an exciting, even d7a5be28f0 enjoyable education.36d14198503cbc89

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At one 0fda4d50cf point, Huikyung 3c6a7acfbe picked up 9549dc1eb6 a plastic a49c75d0af water bottle cfdc80b560 and filled 08bb2b9744 it with 1e74e09aff pebbles, sand, e68d61af34 and other 27533e6dd0 materials to d57fde8320 demonstrate how f09244149c to filter 22317857f9 water.78df4885ce650fd8

“Cool, huh?”7567eecf0237f598

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Jaekani, who had been 07416c6da4 staring intently at the 7e21f0c1d1 clear plastic bottle, finally 69aad8d103 looked up.15ee3062b757a610

It wasn’t the 630a8bb8fb filtered water that b9273e31b0 fascinated him—it was f1c3ef019e Huikyung himself.d498b728f4360746

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‘He feels d14cd44fde wilder than d5d6386325 the wild 7ba2373298 animals out 12da2dbf33 here.’09b2b876373f2023

“Drink,” Huikyung said, handing bd3f21e789 him the bottle.e98faba8c426bac1

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The first 0fbfc07825 sip of 3c1fdb53ee water, long 205746e7e8 overdue, felt cd656006ad like ambrosia. The cool 00b3f89728 liquid revived ed14427f45 Jaekani’s parched 842cc45a58 tongue, which a2a334d0a4 had grown 676462ed2c dry and b0621dbfc9 warm from b389f38994 thirst. His eyes 5c4cf40daf widened in add430322c surprise at 210afeed66 how refreshing 1e0ddeea9a it was. Seeing his reaction, Huikyung 1f48f51bea let out a faint, f58fadf0df knowing chuckle.76910950a0171818

“What about you?” Jaekani f67620bd89 asked.58c2fe36ccf9ebf3

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“I’m fine.”59908f5096b2923a

“Why aren’t c664bce842 you drinking?”e06ba6ea44af4fde

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…Could it be poison?!192106ab6992b3cc

Jaekani’s gaze darted back a39b316d03 to the “makeshift purifier,” c822028f84 now filled with suspicion. Huikyung couldn’t suppress e8d47f3006 a dry laugh, 4606972c1c clearly amused by 0f8c07f282 the boy’s mistrust.2c926f42f88a57d3

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