Episode 28

Huikyung was not the type of person to utter an easy lie, even if it meant enduring criticism.

However, despite the faint trust Jaekani harbored for him, the boy’s heart began pounding wildly, to the point where he could feel each beat resounding in his chest.

His arms trembled uncontrollably, and a numbing ache set in.

How much longer? How much more?

The ground vibrated again, a tremor so strong it seemed to shake the earth itself. Through it, Jaekani sensed Huikyung’s presence.

Then, silence. A silence so oppressive that Jaekani feared his pounding heart might burst from his chest.

Just as he felt he could bear it no longer, when his patience teetered on the edge—

“Gasp!”

Suddenly, his body was lifted into the air. Jaekani’s eyes snapped open, but what greeted him was not fearsome. Instead, it was the firm yet familiar grip of strong arms and shoulders. His tension melted away, and the boy instinctively wrapped his arms around Huikyung’s neck.

Carrying Jaekani, Huikyung moved swiftly through the thicket.

“What was that? Where did you go? Can I open my eyes now?”

“Yes.”

Huikyung’s response was terse, and he seemed slightly strained. His labored breaths prompted Jaekani to glance up at him. It wasn’t just the act of walking that was tiring him.

“…Huikyung.”

Fatigue was etched into Huikyung’s features, impossible to hide.

Under the bright sun, Jaekani noticed the shadow cast around Huikyung’s eyes. The boy reached out with his small, blunt fingers and gently traced the darkened area.

“If you rest… you’ll feel better.”

“Huikyung, are you hurt? Tell me, are you okay?”

Jaekani was taken aback when Huikyung’s lips quirked into a faint smile.

Why was he smiling?

“Like a little chick.”

The remark was so out of place that it momentarily shattered the lingering tension.

“What?”

It took Jaekani a full two seconds to grasp the comment. Before he could respond, Huikyung tapped his cheek teasingly, a smirk playing on his lips.

“You’re chirping like a chick—Huik, Huik!”

“When did I ever go ‘Huik’ like that? You misheard!”

“Even now, listen—Huik!”

“I did not!”

“Huik!”

“Stop it.”

“Huik!”

“I said stop!”

Jaekani snapped, unable to suppress his irritation. To him, Huikyung was nothing short of a villain—an absolutely infuriating person.

“Get your arm off me!”

“It’s not my arm, it’s my hand.”

“Then get your hand off!”

“No.”

“Are you crazy?”

Annoying!

Flustered and red-faced, Jaekani was so caught up in his irritation that the earlier fear and tension had completely slipped his mind. Huikyung, for his part, seemed to revel in teasing the boy. In doing so, he forcibly pushed his own exhaustion below the surface.

Even as Jaekani grew agitated, Huikyung began to feel strangely detached from the pain and fatigue ravaging his body.

The truth was, the body of a high-ranking Esper, especially one who had gone without guidance for a long time, was prone to severe physical deterioration. The days spent walking under immense tension had taken their toll, and Huikyung’s body was steadily deteriorating. What he needed most was guidance and rest.

Yet, in a cruel twist, Huikyung’s body had adapted to long-term deprivation of guidance. Years of extreme physical strain had left him with a grim familiarity. Despite his overwhelming fatigue, his brain accepted the sensation as something manageable.

“Huikyung! Look at that!”

Still insisting he wasn’t a chick, Jaekani eagerly pointed to something ahead. Taking the opportunity, he tried to divert Huikyung’s attention.

However, Huikyung didn’t stop walking. As they drew closer to the scene unfolding before them, the horrific details became unmistakably clear.

Jaekani gasped, sucking in a sharp breath.

“…Huikyung.”

“I did that. No need to be surprised.”

Blood was everywhere. Unlike the village consumed by explosions and flames, this was a different kind of carnage. Red droplets scattered over the earth and rocks—Jaekani belatedly realized they were pieces of flesh. The acrid stench of burning flesh wafted through the air.

Don’t be surprised, he said. But how could Jaekani not be, when Huikyung had a hand in creating this horrific scene?

Jaekani stared blankly at the mangled bodies. Noticing this, Huikyung lightly tapped the back of the boy’s head.

But…

What right did Jaekani have to judge him? He wasn’t in any position to do so. All Jaekani wanted was for Huikyung to remain whole, unbroken.

The boy remembered Jaebad’s remorseful sighs: “Murder is corrosive. It affects everything it touches.” The greatest victim of Jaebad’s violence had been Huikyung. While the comparison wasn’t equal, Jaebad’s conscience, too, must have rotted under the weight of his crimes, though he lacked the justification Huikyung had.

Even so, Huikyung must be experiencing something similar. Murder was surely eating away at some part of him.

Huikyung calmly crossed the field of carnage and set Jaekani down on the bed of a truck with broken wheels. Though the truck wouldn’t move, its interior seats were intact. Opening the door, Huikyung took Jaekani’s hand, helping him climb into the front seat.

“Stay here.”

“Yes.”

“What’s with the face?”

“Huh?”

The boy, lost in his troubled thoughts, finally tore his gaze away from the grim scene. Huikyung didn’t like that expression. He tapped the steering wheel lightly.

“Play pretend—vroom, vroom. I’ll be back soon.”

“…”

Jaekani, thirteen years old, wanted to retort that he was far too old for such childish play, but he couldn’t bring himself to argue. Surely, Huikyung had a reason for seating him there. The absurdity of the situation rendered him silent.

Huikyung’s casual tone and demeanor gradually dulled the shock that had consumed Jaekani. After all, he was a boy accustomed to blood and flesh.

Through the grimy, water-streaked truck window, Jaekani could faintly make out Huikyung’s figure moving around.

Resting his arm on the steering wheel, the boy watched him.

He must be a ‘freeman’, Jaekani thought—a scavenger, no less. Someone like himself, exploited by the government, someone who had never lived in a safe zone.

Huikyung searched through the rusted remains of what seemed like mere scrap metal. Occasionally, he smacked his lips in frustration but emerged from the junk pile with a triumphant expression whenever he found something worthwhile. He moved with the ease of someone revisiting an old home.

It was clear Huikyung had used his abilities precisely. Unlike the mutilated bodies reduced to mere chunks of flesh, the objects they carried remained intact. The only items spared by Huikyung’s powers were essential supplies. The area was otherwise overturned, littered with rocks and dark soil.

As he continued searching, Huikyung occasionally handed Jaekani useful items. Each time he discovered something, he flung open the truck door and dumped it onto Jaekani’s lap: a flashlight, a portable water purifier, a reasonably clean blanket, and even a large backpack that Huikyung deemed perfect for storing their finds.

…Yes, he was definitely a scavenger.

Jaekani had suspected as much, but now he was certain.

The boy’s thoughts raced.

So, when Huikyung mentioned his “group,” it must have been a scavenger crew. But why did he keep it such a secret? Jaekani didn’t understand what there was to be ashamed of. After all, wasn’t he himself from a community that imprisoned Espers and committed atrocities against them?

For all his questions, Huikyung being a scavenger seemed the only plausible explanation.

Still, it felt… off. He didn’t quite fit the image. If Huikyung was indeed part of a scavenger crew, he wouldn’t be the leader—too young and reckless. Perhaps a second-in-command? Even then, some authority was necessary. Maybe the third? Jaekani nodded to himself at the thought.

Around that time, Huikyung began searching through the pile of corpses. Idly flicking the flashlight on and off, Jaekani watched as Huikyung flipped over a partial torso and rummaged through the belongings. Then, Huikyung pulled out something—a dark, angular, heavy device.

Jaekani recognized it instantly.

He flung the truck door open and ran toward Huikyung.

“That’s military-grade!”

Straightening his back, Huikyung held up the radio he had just found. The flashlight tumbled from Jaekani’s hands as he dashed forward, his gaze fixed on Huikyung’s finger hovering over the power switch.