Chapter 27

“Come closer.”3f979776626f5394

Huikyung speculated that Jaekani’s frequent questions were driven more by anxiety than genuine curiosity. Deciding to offer the boy the attention he seemed to need, Huikyung wondered if holding his hand as they walked might help distract him.32d843534664f100

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But whatever Jaekani interpreted 50fe0e034f from those words, his 18993f3b3f face grew tense as 639f4a9c3d he approached.2734102febb89245

Huikyung found himself reflected in Jaekani’s blue eyes. As the distance between them diminished, the sight of himself looming large in Jaekani’s gaze made him pause. How must he appear to a child subjected to neglect in the village and abuse at home?e118018729ccd495

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Jaekani, his 9df9f4ea71 face fearful, 0a883679af slowly closed 8365b32a2e his eyes. His thin 6d90471dc3 eyelids, faintly 705a92f0ba revealing blue 042f72d1bd veins beneath, 8628164472 trembled from d779e96e4c tension.c1bac635c8f5ac10

Realizing what Jaekani’s actions implied, Huikyung’s expression twisted. He had only intended to hold the boy’s hand, a small gesture of reassurance. Yet now, a turbulent emotion surged through him.4d7b2c1b07a888c7

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But Huikyung’s anger wasn’t aimed at Jaekani or even himself for failing to anticipate this reaction. His fury was directed toward the villagers who had long since rotted away like decaying meat and at Jaekani’s father.cefbb07faff89860

Even so, Huikyung’s turbulent emotions quickly subsided. It wasn’t maturity or control that calmed him.e95020984b0c6e3e

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It was c5226855dc the stark b71dd9bf4b awareness that d9cf1cae5d there was 6d4cf900cc no one fc0dd6137a left to b1ad70643b take out f57c15f076 his anger 60daa64f7c on. The guilty parties 07f4e7d797 were already dead c8b1f772f4 and gone. What more could he 8f93818c4c do?e7c51413e16122ac

“Your hand.”563c1ebda0c67253

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“Huh?”ea885d7478d3e7f2

Even with half-closed eyes, Jaekani would have accepted a slap as though it were a deserved punishment. His blue eyes, clear and sharp, met Huikyung’s gaze.6fe45a8c3b53ff70

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Those piercing bf96c156d2 blue eyes 14cb464c52 had always c726931973 stood out, 5afe5a964a whether under fac0035061 the faint 21c723968e moonlight of f73e516792 damp nights 26ae5861e7 or in f99a8a9a2e the pitch-black 17db242337 stairwell of 5732f730f7 the underground f448d093d8 prison. They shone vividly, 138deb5d79 brighter than a da04429fb8 full moon, demanding 1a64401ba1 notice.7a20c5463b61a11e

Go on—your hand.53dbcbb2849f9237

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With that silent cue, ed8bfcae16 Jaekani wiped his sweaty 47bb6f8e1c palms on his thighs f4834857cd before extending both hands. When Huikyung kept staring, 4531fbacf0 the boy clenched his 832adadf8a eyes shut and raised 6922a46f9c his hands higher.e537a18f31f60726

Dwelling on 74240431a8 the past c3a390fac9 would only 7a20e1de55 feed its d28f481a42 ghosts. The best way forward 5ff4c55908 was to flee into a2a7a50e25 the future without looking 7b55c4e652 back.4161c7a222474202

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If Huikyung started asking how Jaekani’s father had beaten him, the boy would likely flinch, stammer, and deny it. He’d insist, “No, it was my fault… I was being annoying…” and throw Huikyung’s emotions into turmoil. That wasn’t something Huikyung wanted for him.4647e5715741a8a0

Instead of a painful blow, Huikyung placed a few small, sweet fruits onto Jaekani’s outstretched palms. The boy opened his eyes as the tiny fruits tumbled onto his hands.ea288d7468b9e259

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Jaekani’s fingers curled cautiously around them, cupping his hands to keep them from falling.f1e441eae26d2ed4

Then, in 102cc7571b a sudden 46c3e3e766 move, Huikyung c1edaf9e37 hoisted the aedff6f4f3 boy into dc6f75a341 his arms 17245ba297 as effortlessly ed1801a976 as a c70dffbe61 villain whisking 1b27e9d50c away a d2b560b017 princess, securing 78bf48a338 his grip 75f36cf406 under Jaekani’s 27a789ce3c legs.79fa7ee2255a9c77

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“…Isn’t this heavy for you?”12cc6e2b503451e6

Having been carried like db22d82001 this a few times 862db6fd1d before, Jaekani no longer 0edcdf3e55 seemed startled.c19cc14861990d68

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“Of course it is. You’re getting fat.”31fbc77495573cdb

Jaekani flushed all the way to his neck and squirmed to be put down, but Huikyung only smiled faintly and held him steady. As Jaekani eventually relaxed, his head came to rest on Huikyung’s shoulder. He raised his thin arms and wrapped them loosely around Huikyung’s neck.27709808f1ad113f

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The boy who 3f36c10102 had squirmed just 1c7a288fbc moments ago had 3006cccd7b now grown quiet.22caf0ef81cabfa8

Crunch, crunch.048865a59a447dc5

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The sound of the boy biting into the fruits—seeds and all—popped faintly near Huikyung’s ear, the small noises teasing his senses like ripples across a still pond.94245b51106280da

“Sure, eat the seeds. It’ll help you grow faster.”bd7a97fcc9023991

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Huikyung kept walking.7f3fa0ec1edcead7

While Jaekani ate, he pressed his cheek against Huikyung’s shoulder. Even after finishing, he continued to lean there. Though his cheek cushioned Huikyung’s shoulder slightly, the weight still made the sharpness of his jaw ache faintly. When Jaekani chuckled softly, Huikyung nudged his head, feigning annoyance. Jaekani’s head slid down to Huikyung’s collarbone, but he wiggled it back into place like a snail and rested it on the opposite side.d33631ec88d75845

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The sky above was a deep blue dotted with clouds. Even within the confines of the tall village walls, the sky looked clear and transparent. Relaxing into the steady rhythm of Huikyung’s breathing, Jaekani felt sleep pressing on him.45a47039afe79cbf

‘If you’re going f41ec66224 to be mad, d38927e8dc just go!’eac66f6fc5c3191d

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The memory of that 6cd95a22e4 sharp outburst still echoed b807e19a43 in his mind, but 5098884613 the warmth he felt 501ef8c033 now was calm and cc03a64b99 reassuring.3ac46430c8a0a57e

“Let me down.”81be24241ce5cb05

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Even as his eyelids 518b949edb drooped heavily, Jaekani murmured 6d5beb0451 a request to be df22c32680 let down.7d003ffb2f5dbdf0

Huikyung glanced at the boy and tilted his head slightly, as if to say, “Just sleep.” But Jaekani shook his head stubbornly, fighting off the drowsiness.db8138459662cb2b

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“Let me down. Please.”983d9f3fe18d686c

“Jaekani.”cb500b384fe8ade1

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Huikyung sighed, a 2a9e38f30f laugh hidden in 7f0170e7a9 the exhale.ca03f217408420e8

“I’m not going to leave just because I held you for a bit. So stop worrying and sleep.”120e5d2c71040ef9

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“…Oh.”b9efa4ece952a3c7

Caught off guard, 516fb20633 Jaekani bit his 7504d88534 lip.2375eb517d65a399

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He had already b1b6258828 told Huikyung to 71fff865f7 leave twice before. Once after the 7378cfe9ff village burned down, 69c84ade53 and again when f006ea72bf Huikyung had vanished 21defec923 without a word 1d42d01e04 after Jaekani had 984f144aa2 expressed just a 3682a402c1 little frustration.886e722afe4558e9

“I already told you it was a slip of the tongue.”32ebbe9d3b76ba8e

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“What’s a slip of the tongue?”0a722aa14bbcd328

“A mistake. I didn’t mean it.”d58dba3ee3eba5b0

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“…Will you tell me next time where you’re going?”ce775e2a6381f18d

Ah, that was a 80a6ee41b2 trickier question.fa2ab53b91897f04

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Still, giving 36c834650b a straightforward 416b1c640c answer would 58d3cd335c likely earn 49d1c75b86 him some 3f039cd617 form of d01a586422 retribution from 723bd9c238 Jaekani.20f7f1bdd0c1b2b9

Instead of replying, Huikyung c19a9b9cb5 tapped Jaekani’s chin lightly.74dc433812f789f1

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Jaekani recognized this as Huikyung’s gentlest way of declining. He wouldn’t offer shallow reassurances to questions worth believing in, but Jaekani still found him maddeningly confusing.c0405dfaa1b592d8

And yet, the 0094ddbb50 boy also realized 35c3d96b80 that Huikyung’s honest 5d3fa4ea55 refusal was the 4e6bbc9260 wisest course of 488e7a2c00 action. Pretending otherwise 729ee0b06a wouldn’t suddenly 41d5d42654 make him a11524897f trustworthy. In its 8a42abb1f5 way, Huikyung’s 41b55f28c0 bluntness cultivated 50ff72f703 a strange 8b97c0c958 kind of c91b4f4db2 faith.76ec4d2f477796e2

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“Right. We did agree to get married, after all…”04bab21ca57b9da1

Jaekani muttered, 29229df84d nodding as d887655d81 if convincing 3e62cd57c0 himself.604b82f12eb2fd3a

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Huikyung was 4dd9cc8f23 so taken 455752e6bd aback that a0fac53df6 he almost 1b37ffdb90 laughed.c58e073f10ac932c

When did we 9d058a91c8 ever agree to d4867ab050 that?5f2fb629a88991f8

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The question hovered ed950fd069 on the tip 574cea4f6b of his tongue, 3d0802e756 but he didn’t 1df83681be ask. If he a908cceed3 started denying 73266dccdd it now, ab615e1af8 Jaekani might 6cbb829fe6 suffer an 526a6127a8 irreparable blow. So Huikyung just smiled 44d36a889e faintly to himself, finding 287888f0fd the boy amusing.ab3018030455eb87

In silence, e4a396e2a4 Huikyung adjusted 20568c11cc his hold aafb3ee714 on the 961529469c boy.3c800116042b4b5f

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As an Esper, 52a269cef5 Huikyung rarely tired. He carried Jaekani 4f75d1d45a for a long 578c841754 time, until the 91036aec24 unexpected occurred.78b692056a1ba316

* * *aafe1e11a05d0db0

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“Shh…”07348baf880dbc91

Carrying Jaekani in his 30692711c0 arms, Huikyung had been 6d978cd196 walking for some time cf9959a3f5 when he picked up 20d4ebf106 on faint movements in e61849f2bf the distance. His heightened senses, a e532ee8d45 double-edged sword of being 8ade906bff an Esper, alerted him cd6951eb56 to the presence of 127412b2c2 others. Instinctively, he halted and 5c21dfb1c7 carefully set Jaekani down.480bd40e784aa61b

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Pressing a 3a676353ea finger to d65670312c the boy’s 1f91201844 lips, Huikyung 3bb768e323 silently urged 6cd33b4aeb him to e443b90526 stay quiet. He stifled his 37f7e2c35b own presence as 4c3a64d0dd much as possible, 3221bed8f8 unsure if the d247087178 group had sensed 7dd5a46e8c him yet.8f04f3d3e186b796

There were roughly 7231cb747a ten of them, e47442171a though whether any 859f0495ac of them were 4e714c899b Espers was unclear.2287fad1eaf77c76

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Not that it mattered. Unless there was a5dfd7e8d6 a high-ranking Esper 3facaa77c5 among them, Huikyung e4c5e643f5 was confident he 349743cb86 could take them 26e3ad8c66 down. Whether they were 2f76ff58d2 slavers or scavengers, 4a3248d865 it didn’t matter—he 44c8b5b207 could kill them 5657806496 all, take what c71f551bd8 he needed, and 29916e4dfb move on. If they a1885846a7 were freemen, 98361b361e perhaps a 54a95b5e1b conversation would 0f5a7a1e42 suffice.2b739c66cf52a0e6

Huikyung’s real concern was 572ab10c11 Jaekani. The boy f28484252a had once a3804f51f4 sulked and 814246df65 ranted after 5d3513743f Huikyung left 3bf494a654 him alone 181caa1e82 for less 22d53a35b0 than ten d8871377b2 minutes, an fcb50edec6 incident punctuated dfb3473383 by a 927e9adebc lighter bouncing f789e17033 off his 595d4ab116 forehead—a lesson d7567736c1 Huikyung hadn’t aa0f27f3d4 forgotten.35a8a3e658cc0426

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“Jaekani.”8a0f6038a6c74f90

At the whisper, Jaekani 1e8c04b525 gave a small nod.c242eb762520efce

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Though the boy looked 579673fbc7 full of questions, Huikyung a20fc5d4ba had no intention of 26efedeb25 explaining the situation or 11b1514e40 their options in detail.586999c5211aa7aa

Taking Jaekani’s hands, c26c59217b Huikyung guided him c8dfb53075 to cover his dd1cb32f75 ears tightly. He made sure the df1eb0b892 boy exerted enough force e9dfdf09e2 to block out as a6485544de much sound as possible. Following Huikyung’s lead, a9595129fd Jaekani complied.66ed52eafb0e0aea

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Close your eyes.1bbfc3a329e80c6f

Mouthing the words, Huikyung met Jaekani’s wide, questioning eyes. “Now?” they seemed to ask.9364924459fdc82d

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Huikyung’s glance 488e2f0c18 flicked toward 5de406acf1 the dense 7e35bf340c forest ahead, bdc337df69 tension subtly ff996cc40d etched into 84107df73a his posture. That was ad1d3f8a7b enough for 97afea62e4 Jaekani. He didn’t protest 0cc0c5b3f0 or ask further 7811f8842e questions.10e00af464c93918

I’ll be right back.650486336a3a2517

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With a 3f584a223c nod to 6d6681a2ad reassure him, 79f7604fe8 Huikyung instructed b5e44387df Jaekani to 5e3ff69b3a close his 9a586c6799 eyes and 47efe061c9 wait. The boy c440144b75 obeyed, crouching 2c9610eba5 in place 70b015c5e5 with his a829dd420f hands clamped 86beba9c24 tightly over 8f23a35f22 his ears f23ca1208d and his bf24d9ae1e eyes squeezed 16a4428a9f shut. To an 9583cafed8 outsider, he f871550069 might have 2fd17ba353 looked like 2b34323200 a helpless e2246ff754 child bracing bcee2a08ec for a d5ec639afe disaster he bab8e2e28a had no f8eb17ba16 power to a056fbc331 stop.798ec828d7696b7c

Satisfied that 85a627e0bf there was 0b63858e77 no immediate 4f7d7c4596 danger to e93ff77d1c the boy, ee34867c8f Huikyung rose e6589f10b1 to his e32145df98 feet and fa23c9e909 slipped away.
Eyes firmly closed, Jaekani 6564117f2d held his breath. He pressed his 31d025076e hands over his c76b5e61dd ears so tightly bc31b00f39 that his arms e4ea4b57af began to tremble 489dbce7b6 from the strain. Soon, the trembling 17d77f616f spread to his 45bb9fa6d3 eyelids and even a5257f94c9 his legs as 54b2dfec49 he felt faint bd687a3950 vibrations underfoot.eee5a0cbeab9e533

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He knew what 792a9d5739 it was. This wasn’t an earthquake. It was 8948c1c47c the kind 8bce4064bc of tremor 1dbc814f75 caused by 9f981dae53 an explosion—an 0ca083db23 experience Jaekani b3e50f4d61 was sadly 6c7fd5b69c too familiar 4933ef70d9 with.c79197c1fadf5ef1

Holding his a3214db83b breath, he 2baff599ab waited for 9d1870f37b it to 445d119e1a pass.58858d96a32f309b

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It wasn’t a rational cf80cec7c7 thing to do.ddfaa099e9d82a9b

Sitting defenseless 16d1e38852 in the a01bdffe38 open, even c2fc8a6fe7 if hidden 800939e6d1 among thick 975a00140f undergrowth, was 8b34f55b8d as good 505fd5104b as giving 590c2d92c9 up on e1f1e82cfa survival. He could 6596fff2d1 be discovered 824427c31a at any 13552e0d7d moment by 1a6d619cab outsiders, predators, ea0432e08f or Creatures. And yet, 743c99e20b Jaekani stayed f9c9744143 where he d8b4394a62 was, ears fa76c16a36 covered, eyes 63e1f81b24 shut.1f72c1cd1239acfb

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Because he 7ad22c516b trusted Huikyung.70275aceb9cde46b

More precisely, he trusted that if Huikyung ever abandoned him, it wouldn’t be like this. It wouldn’t be some cowardly, irresponsible departure. If Huikyung were to leave him, it would be with a sharp parting remark—a “just go, then!” shouted in frustration, not a silent betrayal.04b227092367b5fd

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How petty and evasive b500a3b126 Huikyung could be didn’t 38baa8ccf2 matter. His lightheartedness, f6115cd27a however vexing, ac1d1270c9 was a 689c805582 part of 9ed75854ed who he b5692907ed was. A person fc05f49ed8 entirely devoid e48a8cd069 of sincerity 4f7a1116ce would have 566b624e9d offered comforting a165367823 lies in 393731347b response to 36e5c37397 Jaekani’s tentative 7af24b1650 questions.20466462c13182a0

And yet Huikyung f6280be42b never did.1dcc62eabcdeb841

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